The Fallen Spider
by pumpkinnubbin
Summary: Loki is growing bored of New York so he finds the one person that would pose a fine distraction: Natasha. Only that something is not right. Somebody did what he could not. Now he seeks to avenge. Romance/Angst/Hurt/Comfort
1. Broken

**A/N: I have like at least five other ideas for BlackFrost fanfics that I started working on but this was done first and just flowed really easily. I'm not entirely sure how long this is going to be and my chapters are usually pretty short but I hope you'll give this a shot anyway. I appreciate any feedback on this as I don't quite know where to go with this yet. We'll see on the way. I also might change the rating later. Anyways, please do let me know what you think and if I should continue this.**

**Disclaimer: There are so many aspects of this that I wished I owned but... nope. Nothing's mine besides the plot and the writing.**

* * *

Life on Earth was boring.

The agreement he had with his brother was both a blessing and a curse of sorts. He could certainly think of worse punishments for his crimes and being stuck on Earth for a few days every month wasn't on top of that list. Thor had convinced Odin to let Loki come with him whenever he went to visit his girlfriend or his new comrades. Not without some conditions for the younger God, however, and they made him less than happy. He could only go back and forth with Thor and each time they would go, he would get his magic bound beforehand. He supposed it wasn't as bad as having his powers removed permanently but it was an annoyance nonetheless. At the very least, Odin hadn't deemed it necessary to restrict Loki's teleportation skill and he could use it as he pleased. He wouldn't get very far under Heimdall's watchful eyes anyway. So he spent most of his time roaming New York City, alone. He made sure not to spend a lot of time with Thor, unless absolutely necessary. He had posed a condition to Thor himself, before they left the very first time all those months ago. He didn't want to hear a word about the Avengers. He cared not how they fared and he did not want to know how well everyone had been since his humiliation of a defeat. Thor kept that end of the deal up perfectly. Not once did Loki have to hear about them and for that he was grateful. They all knew he was coming with his brother, Thor had told them about it, but Loki had never run into any one of them. None had made an attempt at hunting him down either. Not even Barton. He had expected the archer to be on his throat the second he set foot on Earth but nothing. Loki doubted they had been very happy about the news. He had no doubt that they were keeping an eye out in case he would stir trouble but for the moment, he had no intention to. His trips to Earth were by far the most freedom he could ask for right now and he didn't feel like cutting that short. Especially not without his magic. Teleportation could only get him so far.

* * *

Today, Loki was looking for distractions. New York grew boring quickly. He had visited the park a few times during the previous stays and even went to some of the festive celebrations but nothing held his interest for very long. Mortals were so very dull. Marching through the crowd on First Avenue, his mind took him to the Avengers. That bunch of mortals beat him like he was any other ordinary person. He snarled quietly at the thought. They were such pathetic creatures.

Stark was nothing without his suit, just a narcissistic man with money and a giant tower with his name all over it. He wouldn't last five minutes without his precious metal contraptions. How nobody had strangled the man yet was beyond Loki. Everything about him was infuriating.

Banner was haunted by the beast inside of him. There was no way of escaping it and being angered around humans wasn't very difficult. Loki had to admire the man's patience and calmness though. It was impressive, for a mortal.

The dear Captain was out of his own time, lost in a world he couldn't recognize. Loki knew from Barton just how pathetic the man had been before he became Captain America, small and skinny with no specialty about him whatsoever. The only thing special about him now was the serum running through his veins. Even though the man had strength now, it was only due to drugs. He would be nothing without them.

The thought of that ridiculous outfit he wore came to mind and Loki made a face of disgust. A few people around him looked at him strangely when he did but he paid it no attention, silently continuing the list of reasons why he hated the Avengers and why exactly they were so pathetic and below him.

As helpful as Barton had been during the attack, the archer was hardly extraordinary. His skill with a bow was admirable but that was all he had. One just had to take that away and he would be left with nothing. His mind had been so easy to take over. He had heart but he was weak. He couldn't understand just what the Spider saw in him.

Yes, Natasha Romanoff…

A smirk crossed his face at the thought of her. There weren't many who could best him at his own game and no matter how much it angered him, he found her all the more interesting for it. She was so small and so easily breakable, physically at least, but it didn't stop her from joining her little band of misfits in the fight against the Chitauri. He had to admire her bravery, or was it foolishness? It didn't matter. He had replayed their conversation in the Helicarrier at least a few dozen times in the last months and slowly, the initial anger had faded to the back of his mind. He had found a match. It ate at him that it had to be a lowly mortal woman but he found he no longer cared about the details. She was his match and that was something he would not easily let go of.

She would prove to be excellent entertainment. Thor had told him – before their agreement - that all the Avengers had moved into Stark's tower, now known as Avenger's Tower, and finally he could make use of that information. But not quite yet.

Loki decided to wait for nightfall to seek her out. He made his way to the apartment he had to share with Thor. Stark had invited him to stay at the tower but Thor wouldn't go without Loki and he wasn't welcome so S.H.I.E.L.D. had found them an apartment close to the Avengers to stay in. They never stayed longer than a few days but even Gods needed sleep. The apartment, however generous, was ridiculously tiny and Loki had to wonder however mortals could live in such cramped spaces. This was hardly big enough for one of them but having to share just made it all the worse. He could easily fit the entire thing into his bedchambers in Asgard's palace. It was degrading to have to live in such conditions. It didn't matter to him that he only ever went here to sleep for a few hours. He went to his room, sitting down on the bed to wait for the sun to set. Thor wasn't back yet and he doubted he would be for another couple of hours. All the better. It would be dark soon.

* * *

Loki teleported into her room a couple of hours after the sun had set. She was sitting on her bed, leaning back against the wall with a book in her lap. Her eyes found his instantly upon his arrival and he smiled to himself. As sharp as ever. He was mildly surprised when she didn't draw her gun or make a move to attack. It brought a smirk on his face, thinking he caught her off guard.

"Agent Romanoff. So good to see you again." He said mockingly.

Still she did not react. She looked neither shocked, nor afraid or defiant. She just continued staring at him. Something was different about her tonight but he couldn't pinpoint it so he elected to ignore it.

"What? Will you not even say hello to an old friend?"

Natasha marked the page of her book and moved to put it down on her nightstand. She ignored the taunt in his question but she also made no other move of action. Loki frowned but decided she was playing a game of sorts and it only widened his smirk. Her silence was new. He took a small step toward her, waiting for a reaction. When none came, he spoke again.

"Will you not indulge me in a conversation? Ah, I suppose it matters not. I'm bored, you see." He said, pacing in front of her with a grin, "New York is tiring. It is always the same, every day. One would think the city would hold more interest but it is as dull as the next. You have brought me the most entertainment during my first visit. Naturally, it drew me back."

He watched her closely as he spoke but Natasha hadn't moved an inch. She had watched him all the same though. The smirk on his face vanished, replaced by infuriation at her utter lack of response. Just what was that blasted woman playing at? She was supposed to taunt him, shoot back a witty retort, hiss threats at him; anything. But not this unnerving silence. She used words as well as he did so why would she not speak? He strode over to her, stopping right in front of her and glaring down at her. He couldn't tell if she was brave or foolish for not even flinching, or maybe just completely indifferent. All the options made him growl lowly in his chest. This was not right.

"What's the matter, quim?" He mocked, his voice dropping an octave, "Cat got your tongue?"

It was in that moment, when she stared back up at him with that same expression she had worn when he had come in, that he realized what was wrong. The uneasy feeling from just minutes ago finally made sense. Her silence was not an act. He frowned and his anger slowly faded into confusion. He knelt down to be level with her, her eyes never leaving his. Loki grabbed her chin a little bit rougher than needed and looked at her. Truly looked at her. He knew her expression all too well and his chest constricted with foolish sentiment.

"What has happened to you?"

The question was met with expected silence and he let go of her again, half in shock now. Never had he seen eyes so empty. Somebody had done what he could not.

The Black Widow had been broken.


	2. Negotiation

**I meant to have this up sooner but we had a friend stay over. Anyways, I'll try to update this once a week, just in case I can't keep up the pace of having one up every other day. Thanks everyone who has reviewed so far or faved or followed this. It's good to know you guys are interested in this story. **

**Somebody was asking if this is going to be romance: Yes. Unless the fanfic decides otherwise, I'm aiming to have romance in here eventually. I will most likely also up the rating in the upcoming chapters.**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

* * *

He could hear footsteps approaching and he pulled back from her completely. For a moment, he thought he saw curiosity cross her expression but he couldn't be sure. There were only so many options for him at the moment and he took each of them into account.

He could disappear, just like he had come, via teleportation and make sure not to engage her team. It would be a safe way to leave and a quick one too.

He could stay and face the Avengers, demand answers that he knew he had no right to. It was tempting, if only to see their faces when they saw him.

He could also get a hold of Natasha again and vanish with her. He could take her away with him and try to figure out what had happened to her by himself. Though he doubted the Avengers and Thor would take kindly to it. Not to mention that Natasha herself would probably disapprove. Not that she would voice her opinion, by the looks of it.

The decision was made the moment the door burst open. Loki was gone in a flash, teleporting back to the apartment he shared with Thor, leaving Natasha behind.

"Natasha! Are you alright?" Steve asked, concern written all over his face.

When the team had seen Loki in her room, they had rushed to get to her. They had all been worried sick since the incident and had upped security on her floor, just in case she needed anything or anybody tried to break in.

She didn't answer, staring at the spot Loki had been occupying.

"She seems fine. Doesn't look like he hurt her or anything." Tony said.

They were all relieved and Clint took a step closer, kneeling down in front of her for a better, proper, check-up. If anyone could tell if she truly was okay, it would be him.

"You're really okay? He didn't touch you?"

It was a stupid question considering she wasn't going to answer him in any way and he knew it but he couldn't help himself. Bruce was the one to wonder aloud what Loki had been doing in here in the first place. All eyes turned to him, even Natasha looked up at him though her expression remained neutral.

"Maybe he was lonely."

"Stark, this is serious."

"We should call Thor." Clint suggested and the boys nodded in agreement.

"I'll make the call. Somebody should stay here, just in case."

Clint volunteered and the others left together with Tony, who asked Jarvis to call their favourite God. It didn't take long for the phone to be answered, Thor's greeting echoing through the big room.

"Hey buddy. Listen, is your brother around? We need to talk to him. Like, now, would be good."

"Indeed he is! But you cannot speak to him at this moment."

"What, why?"

Thor looked back at Loki who was sitting at the table, his chin resting in his hand.

"I will bring him to you when we are done."

"No, Thor, list-"

Thor had hung up on him and Tony stared at the phone, offended.

"Did he seriously just hang up on me?!"

"Maybe he finally learned that you can't keep your mouth shut?" Bruce shrugged and Steve chuckled while Tony glared at them both.

* * *

Loki looked up at his brother when he ended the call. He would have been amused about the rather rude ending but his thoughts were on Natasha.

"I ask again, what have you done this time, Loki?"

He sighed, rolling his eyes in annoyance. Thor's faith in him was always such a great thing to fall back on.

"The question should not be about what I have done but what has been done to Agent Romanoff. And I believe I asked that question first."

Thor fell silent for a minute. He could tell Loki what he knew, which was hardly anything, or he could remind him of their agreement to not utter a word about his friends. Loki continued staring him down, narrowing his eyes at the silence. It was never a good thing when Thor was so quiet. Another minute later, Thor sat down at the other end of the table, covering his face with his hands for a moment. He felt out of place for telling him.

"I will tell you what I know but do not expect it to be much."

The younger God nodded and waited quietly for Thor to continue.

"Lady Natasha had gone missing two months ago, on a mission. The others found her a week after that and she has not spoken a word since. We do not know what has happened to her during her absence. She refuses to speak and does not react to anything. She spends her time in her room where she can be left alone. Her team is taking good care of her but it is worrisome that she will not speak." He explained, his expression giving away just how much he worried about the spy.

"I see…" Loki mumbled to himself.

"Loki… Why are you suddenly so interested in her well-being? You have asked me not to tell you about them and so I have not… I do not understand why you want me to now."

"The agreement still remains, Thor. I care not how they are and I do not wish to hear of them. This is an exception. Somebody has broken her when I could not. She is no fun anymore now and I wanted to know why."

Thor narrowed his eyes at him then, his gaze holding a clear warning. He did not appreciate the way Loki talked about his friend. He could deal with the bitterness and jests but he would not sit by and watch him speak like that when she was suffering already.

"Don't fuss, Thor. I have no intention of hurting her. I am merely…fascinated."

That seemed to settle his uneasiness a little though the frown remained on his face. As far as he could tell, Loki was being sincere.

"We must go see the others. They wish to speak to you as well."

"Speak to me or attempt to kill me?" Loki mused, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

* * *

"Okay, Reindeer Games, what the hell were you doing in Natasha's room?"

"Hello to you too, Stark."

"Yeah, hi, whatever, so?"

"I was seeking a distraction and I found it." Loki smirked, just to anger him, "I must admit, I'm surprised Barton is not here. I would have thought he would have put an arrow in the back of my head the second I stepped in."

It was Steve who replied, his voice calm, "He's with Natasha."

Loki nodded in acknowledgement. He rather appreciated the calm and honest reply. He wasn't here to fight them after all, no matter how much fun it was to stir up some trouble.

"Listen, you can't just teleport in here and you definitely can't go and see her."

He turned his attention back to Tony then and frowned, irritated.

"You cannot tell me what to do and what not. I do what I want."

"Yeah, that's great for you and all but she can't kick you out and this is my house so I _can_ tell you to leave her alone. I don't think it's good for her to see you so you won't, easy as that. We can kick you out whenever we want to."

Bruce and Steve nodded in agreement and when Loki glanced over to Thor, he too voiced his agreement, "It will be best for the Lady Natasha to keep things calm."

"I do not care. I wish to see her."

"I just told you, you can't. You don't know what happened-"

"And neither do you." Loki snarled.

Silence filled the room at his outburst and Tony stared at Thor, half angry. Obviously, the God had told him about the incident. There was simply no other way Loki would know anything. The click that came from the door behind them caught everybody's attention and they all turned their heads toward it.

"I think he should go see her."

Everyone stared at Clint in disbelief, including Loki. Out of all of them, he had been certain that Barton would be the one to jump to Natasha's defence first. That he would be the last person to agree to let Loki get close to her again, especially under the current circumstances. Clint walked over to the group, moody, and crossed his arms in front of his chest as he looked up at Loki. He was clearly displeased by the idea of having him here.

"Agent Barton?" Steve questioned with furrowed brows.

The archer sighed and tore his eyes away from Loki while trying to find the words to explain his previous statement.

"Okay, I know this sounds crazy but listen. I don't want him here any more than you do and I sure as hell don't want him anywhere close to Natasha but… I think he actually got a reaction out of her. And no, it wasn't out of fear, as much as I'd like that. It'd give me a reason to kick him out of here but it's not that. I think… maybe he can help."

"And what if he can't? What if we let him see her and he kills her?"

Loki rolled his eyes at that. Had they forgotten that he was right there?

"I don't think that will happen, Captain." Bruce chimed in, "He could have killed her last time. He didn't even try to hurt her. Look, if he can help Natasha, we should give it a try. None of us managed to make her react, not even Clint."

The man in question nodded. "Besides, there are cameras. He does something stupid, I will personally kick his ass back to Asgard."

There was another round of silence in which Steve and Tony shared a concerned look.

"Okay, fine."

Steve gave his okay as well though he was still reserved about the idea of letting Loki close to her.

"If you can help her somehow, we'd appreciate it. Just know that we will not just sit back and watch if you harm her in any way."

Loki was surprised, to say the least. He ignored the Captain and turned to face Clint once more. He wasn't sure he understood his motives. He also wasn't sure how this entire conversation went from his wish to see her to them assuming he'd help her.

"I will not harm her." He said to no one in particular.

Thor clapped his shoulder a little too eagerly, making Loki cough and glare at him.

"I am happy you will help Lady Natasha!"

"Don't be ridiculous. I will make no such promises. I don't see why I should help her. In case you've forgotten, I don't _care_."

"Just talk to her." Clint pushed, "Not today though. She's just gone to sleep."

"Then we shall return tomorrow!" Thor smiled.

He was happy with the current turn of events. Loki bowed his head briefly before grabbing Thor and teleporting both of them away again. He didn't feel like walking. The way through the tower and back to their apartment was tedious.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Tony voiced, obviously worried.

He felt protective of Natasha, now even more so. He wanted her to be alright and having the crazy God of Mischief in the same room as her wasn't his definition of protection and safety.

"I don't know, Stark. But honestly, if there's a chance he can help, I'm willing to take it. I saw something in her eyes after he left and that's the most reaction she's showed ever since we got her back."

"Should we inform Director Fury of this?" Steve asked.

The others just shook their heads no. It wouldn't be easy to explain why on Earth they let Loki close to her now and none of them would be willing to have that chat quite yet either. There was only so much Fury could take before he would snap and they didn't doubt that this would be the last straw. Nobody wanted to be shouted at for this and if it didn't work, they could simply keep Loki away again and pretend nothing ever happened in the first place.

"It can wait."

* * *

Loki retreated into his room as soon as they got back, not willing to converse with Thor about this entire thing. He was just curious. He needed to know how somebody had managed to break the unbreakable Natasha Romanoff. She was his match on so many levels but now she was nothing but an empty shell. He pushed the sudden wave of emotions back, trying to convince himself that he did not care the least about her condition beyond his curiosity. He ignored the memory of his chest tightening just hours before. He did not care for one pathetic little human.


	3. First Meetings

**Thanks for all you lovely readers! I'm happy to see people are interested in this. I actually don't quite know what to think of this chapter, I'm not entirely happy with it so I would appreciate some feedback on it. Also, there's some more to Clint in this one and I'm trying to establish his character in here.**

**I would also like to ask you for some ideas on what Loki could talk to Natasha about in upcoming chapters (Any stories from his childhood - from the myths or the comics or made up - or anything else you can come up with). I'd love to include that. I have a rough layout for this story in my head so we'll see how that works out. And lastly, what do you guys prefer? A/Ns at the top or bottom of the story? **

**Anyways, enjoy and please take the time to let me know what you thought about it.**

* * *

The two Gods arrived at the tower shortly after noon. Thor had insisted they walk, much to Loki's displeasure. He would have preferred teleporting but it was rather difficult to argue with Thor. Just going with it saved time and so he had, reluctantly. Clint and Tony welcomed them down in the foyer of the ground floor and then showed the way up to Natasha's level. Thor stayed back and Tony advised him to ask Jarvis should he need anything.

Once on the right level and out of the lift, the three remaining men came to a halt in the hallway and Clint crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was second guessing his idea, had been since it had come to mind, but he knew he would have to stick with it. For Natasha's sake.

"She knows you're coming. You have an hour. Remember there are cameras in there."

He had told her about it this morning. Usually, she wouldn't have liked the idea, Clint knew, but now she didn't care. She didn't react to anything he said after all and making decisions for her had never been one of his strongest suits. She was complicated. Even after years of being friends, Clint still had troubles figuring out what she would have wanted in some situations and this one was right on top of that list. He just hoped he made the right choice.

"I know. May I then?"

Loki found himself rather impatient, all considering. He needed to know who had done this to her and how. He could not understand how a simple mortal could break her. Especially when he himself had not been able to. It made no sense to him and that was starting to drive him up the walls. He had spent the majority of the previous night thinking about it, going through scenarios that could have potentially broken her like this, but in the end he hadn't been able to come up with anything.

"Yeah, go ahead."

He nodded and Clint accompanied him to her door. Clint chose to ignore the smirk on the God's face. He would not start getting angry with him now. He opened the door and Loki went through it before it closed again behind him. He had expected Clint to stay in the room with them but he found himself alone with Natasha.

She was sitting on her bed, looking up at him now, and he wondered if she had moved at all since his first visit the other day. While he had been in her room before, he hadn't taken the time to look around.

"Hello, Agent Romanoff. I do not know what Barton has told you but I have no intention of harming you. I also have none to help you. I am merely curious about your condition and how you have gotten it. Beyond that, I do not care." He stated, taking in the surroundings.

Her room was simple. Her bed was right up against the wall, her nightstand close enough to reach without moving too much. It had a bedside lamp on it, the book she had read the previous day and a small electrical device he had learnt to identify as an iPod. He could see her gun pointing out from under her pillow and had little doubt that there were more weapons there than just that one. There was a chair by the end of the bed and some obvious marks on the floor showing it had been dragged around a lot recently. A small table was situated in front of the couch that was facing the tv on the wall. It was surrounded by two rather full bookshelves. The walls lacked any sort of decoration and other personal items were scarce as well. He spotted a dresser in the corner with a bunch of flowers on it, undoubtedly from Barton or one of the other Avengers, and a closet right next to it. Then his focus shifted back to the assassin in the room.

Natasha stared at him, showing no other sign that she had even heard him. He knew she had though.

"Your silence is utterly infuriating. But I suppose there is some fun to be had with your lack of reaction."

Loki grabbed the chair he had seen earlier and placed it next to the bed, closer to where she was sitting, before sitting down on it.

"I'm surprised your friends let me come in here, alone at that. Did you know that it was your beloved archer that suggested I come see you? He was the first one to assume I would help you. I wonder how you feel about that; your friends allowing the enemy to be close to you when you're at your most vulnerable."

It was almost amusing to him how foolish those mortals were, how trusting. He should not be trusted. He could kill her in the blink of an eye and then disappear if he truly wanted to. They would never find him. For now, however, he was too curious to. He wanted to know what had happened and how to stop her silence.

Loki watched her for a few minutes, studying her quietly. He didn't know what he was looking for exactly or what he was hoping for but he found absolutely nothing. Her face was impassive, like she hardly recognized anything around her. Like he wasn't even in the room. Her eyes were empty and it was easy to tell that it wasn't just a mask. He knew she was a master at concealing her feelings and emotions so nobody could see them or use them against her but this was entirely different. With the way her body was just hanging in there, slumped over and all of her usual grace and statue forgotten, he could move it however he wanted and she would just go with it. He could move her limbs and she would keep them where he put them. It was a sad sight. If it would be anyone but her, he'd call it pathetic. Only that Loki knew she was impossibly hard to break. He almost laughed at himself for thinking her unbreakable. She was mortal, of course she was breakable.

"The things I could do to you now…" He mused out loud.

An idea came to mind, successfully banishing all previous thoughts to the back of his mind. He smirked mischievously. Maybe finally he could actually have some fun with her. It was either that or it would backfire on him and drive him crazy all over again.

In one quick movement, he grabbed a fistful of her hair, tugging her head back. He knew the grip he had on her now was painful but she didn't flinch, didn't make a sound. She didn't wince or blink or move. It was almost impressive, if not for the circumstances. Natasha kept her eyes trained on him and he stood up to tower above her, staring down at her. He growled in frustration and released her not a minute later. The Avengers would surely come bursting in otherwise. Loki made a gesture to where he knew one of the cameras was, indicating he still meant her no harm despite the little display just now. There was no need to cut short the visit just because he had conducted a little experiment.

"You would let me do anything now, wouldn't you..? It's almost boring."

He missed seeing the fire in her eyes, that defiant attitude when he was getting to her. He could never tell if she was truly being brave or if she tried not to let her fear show. He liked that.

Loki sighed and fell back into his chair, looking at her. She moved her head back to a more natural position and stared back at him. The silence wasn't entirely unpleasant but it certainly wasn't comfortable either. He took her chin between two fingers, much gentler than the hold on her hair had been, and leaned in closer until their noses were almost touching. Her gaze remained unwavering and she didn't budge. He chuckled and let go of her again before sitting back down once more. Violence didn't make her react and close proximity didn't either. Whatever doubts he had had before about her condition were gone now. She was not faking this, not that he had truly believed she was. One could never be too sure.

"Do you think they made the right call? I wonder… Nobody asked you, they just decided for you. You sit here in silence and let things happen to and around you. Do you think Barton had the right idea in sending me in here to speak to you?"

Though he knew she was listening to him, her passiveness and silence unnerved him. The way she stared at and right through him almost made him feel uneasy. What an odd feeling.

Eventually, Loki settled for sitting out the rest of the hour in silence. He would not speak to her when he knew she would not answer. He had nothing to talk about anyway.

* * *

Clint came back in once the hour was over, knocking briefly. He took a long look at the both of them before fixing his gaze on Loki.

"Time's up, Loki."

Loki got up and he could feel Natasha's eyes on him so he turned back to her. He wanted to grin at her but couldn't bring himself to, scowling quietly instead.

"Come on."

He passed Clint, not surprised that he didn't follow right away. Tony was waiting for him already though and they walked back out into the hallway, leaving Clint behind. The door closed and Loki narrowed his eyes.

"He's checking up on Natasha." Tony explained.

"I am not stupid. However, there is no need for it as I have not harmed her."

"You say that but you did get handsy."

"And yet you have not come to interfere. Clearly, you believe she is fine. And she is."

"Yeah, well, better be safe than sorry."

Tony was well aware that Clint wasn't just in there to check up on her. He went to see if she would show a reaction of some sort again; anything, really.

* * *

He closed the door behind him and went to sit where Loki had been a mere minute ago.

"Hey, Tasha."

Natasha looked up at Clint, tearing her eyes away from the door.

"You okay? He didn't hurt you or anything?"

She'd have told him off usually, knowing fully well that they had been watching the exchange but she didn't move. Clint knew though. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry. You know I'm not trying to patronize you. I'm just worried. I don't trust him… I know he hasn't injured you or tried fucking with your head but I just wanna make sure. If anything happens to you while he's here because I was careless enough to let him in, I'd never forgive myself… You know how I feel about you…"

They had this conversation before and he knew exactly how she felt about it. The previous times it had come up, they talked it out or she'd scowl at him when he brought it up again. Now, it almost made him smile.

"I know, I know, Tasha. I just wanna look out for you, alright?"

He didn't expect her to answer or react but the lack of both made him sigh inwardly. It wasn't easy dealing with this Natasha.

"I'll leave you alone for now, okay? Gotta go see Loki out." Clint smirked at the last part.

Natasha watched him go, staring at the door again long after he had closed it.

* * *

"Are you satisfied now?" Loki asked when Clint joined them again.

"Not until she's fine again but yeah. It's… nice…to see you can actually keep your word."

Loki chuckled in amusement. He couldn't care less if they trusted him or not. He would still go see Natasha whenever he pleased and he would continue trying to figure out what had happened to her, even without their consent. He didn't need it. It was merely a pleasantry that he had their cooperation.

* * *

They walked him back down to the foyer where he met up with Thor again who seemed more than delighted that his brother had been playing nice. Loki growled at him and his obvious display of affection and happiness and dragged him out of the Avenger's Tower. He would be back tomorrow.


	4. Card Games and Sudden Turn of Events

**Thank you all so much for the reviews and everything! Special thanks to my lovely guest reviewer; I always look forward to hearing from you. Everyone else too of course! You all make my day when I see people like this. I got some really great ideas for the upcoming chapters and I'm very excited about what's to come. There is a lot of Steve in this chapter and I really hope I got his character right but I'm not too sure on it. So please let me know? This is by far the longest chapter yet and while I will try to keep it at this length (if you prefer this over the shorter ones?), I can't promise it. I'm terrible at lengthy chapters. There's a book mentioned in here and I'll have more on that at the bottom. Enjoy!**

* * *

Over the course of the next week, Loki spent an hour a day with Natasha. They didn't speak at all most of the time, Loki not wishing to speak when he would receive no answer. He had nothing to tell her either; nothing he wished to tell her at least. Instead, he went through her personal belongings, snatching a book to read or skip through sometimes. He took a few, surprisingly interesting ones, with him after each visit. He'd be back in Asgard soon and he could use the distraction. After all, he had already read most of Asgard's books and they grew boring quickly. Loki would be back in his cell in a few hours and while he wasn't particularly looking forward to that, at least it would serve as a nice hiding spot from his family. He had no doubt that Thor was going to tell them how he helped his mortal friends and surely, that would be reason enough to start a conversation with him. For his mother at the very least. Since it was impossible to hide in a cell for long, however, he hoped the books could keep visitors away. Not that he got a lot of those. Thor, mostly, and his mother and sometimes Fandral could just be heard keeping Sif away.

* * *

Back on Asgard now, Thor walked Loki back to his cell and once inside, he ignored his brother. Thor left again when he realized he wouldn't be graced with any more attention. He had to speak to his parents.

He made it all the way up to the last hallway before the Throne Room when Frigga approached him.

"Thor. How was your stay on Midgard?"

She came closer with a warm smile and he returned it broadly before he was pulled into a motherly hug. They parted again and walked the rest of the way together.

"It went well. Do you remember when I told you about the misfortune of one of my comrades?"

"The mortal as fierce as the Lady Sif." She smiled, a hint of amusement audible, "Of course I remember, dear. How is she?"

"She still does not speak… But my friends have allowed Loki to see her. They believe he is helping her recover. He wishes to know what has happened to her as much as the others do. I am not certain on the details but Agent Barton says he is indeed helping her."

"That is good news. Perhaps not all is lost then. I do hope she will fare better soon."

"I am certain she will. She is a warrior at heart." He nodded.

They finally reached the Throne Room and while Thor greeted his father, Frigga went to stand by his side.

"How has Loki behaved himself?"

"Very good, father. He is doing good, helping my friend."

Odin frowned, surprised by that. It was no secret what Loki thought of the mortals, especially Thor's friends. To hear he was helping one of them now hadn't been something he had thought Thor would say.

"I would like to hear more about this at dinner tonight."

Thor nodded, leaving it at that, and retired to his chambers. Frigga turned to Odin with a smile on her face.

"What do you think?"

"I will listen to what Thor has to say and then decide. Loki has been making progress. I am glad to see it."

She nodded in agreement. She was happy to see that Loki wasn't quite as bitter anymore. She made a mental note to go see him later that day.

* * *

By the time dinner came along, Loki had read through almost half of The Robbers. He had taken a few other books that looked about the same size but this one had caught his immediate attention. How could it not? The similarities between Thor and himself were almost hilarious. Almost. He put the book aside with a sigh and lay down on his bed. Staring up at the ceiling, he thought back to his talks with Natasha, though one could hardly call it that. He was well aware that he was starting to grow attached to the woman and he would have to deal with that soon. He could not grow attached to her.

Thor was a little late for dinner, meeting his parents in the dining hall. He was eager to tell them all about Loki's agreement with the Avengers. Maybe it would help convince Odin to let Loki out of his cell. He sat down with a quick apology for being late.

"So tell me, how is your friend?"

"She is the same. I told mother this earlier. She does not speak, nor react to anything around her. Agent Barton tells me she has shown some sort of reaction after Loki's first visit, however. I do not know how he can tell but it must be true. It is a small hope that she will get better."

"I see… and how is it that Loki helps her?"

"He went to see her. After the first short visit Agent Barton suggested Loki come see her once a day. They have spent an hour a day together during the past week, though as far as I know, they have both spent it in silence. I am told that she is doing a little better now. I like to think Loki is the cause."

"Do you think he is rehabilitating?"

"Yes. He might be ready for more freedom here soon."

"I shall decide that. Now, let us eat."

Thor fell silent, exchanging a look with his mother. They ate together, chatting about what had happened in Asgard during Thor's absence. He pondered about what Odin might be thinking of but he had no doubt his father would make the right decision. He really hoped Loki could be trusted with more freedom.

* * *

Back on Earth, Steve was on his way to check up on Natasha. He was alone in the tower with her. Tony had managed to convince the others to go out for some drinks. Clint had protested the most, not willing to leave Natasha by herself. Bruce too hadn't been too fond of the idea of drinking. He didn't want to destroy half the city again by accident. Steve didn't like the idea in the first place and had offered to stay behind to look after Natasha in Clint's place. That had settled most of the argument. Clint gave in knowing she was in good hands and Bruce had given up trying to convince Tony that it would be a bad idea to get him drunk. He decided to be the designated driver instead. That way he could stay sober and look after the two men and still go out to have some fun. And it also satisfied Tony. With Pepper being in Washington at the moment, he was starting to be a royal pain in the ass.

Steve got to Natasha's level and knocked on her door a couple of times.

"Natasha? Are you awake?"

He opened the door to peek inside and to see if he was disturbing her. He spotted her on the bed, reading. He came in then, smiling at her warmly when she looked up at him. Every time he saw her, which frankly wasn't all that often, she was reading. He liked it. He took it as a good sign; that she was still in there somewhere.

"I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her.

"Tony dragged the others out for some drinks. He insisted. It took some arguing but Clint and Bruce gave in after a while. I don't like it too much so I stayed here to keep you company. I think it helped Clint worry a little less about leaving you."

He smiled at her again before rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. He hadn't spent a lot of time with her alone before, only ever teaming up with her on missions and then she kept it professional. He didn't know a lot about her personally but he hoped after all this, they would get a chance to get to know each other better. She was a giant mystery to him now but he liked her and it changed nothing on his view on her. He considered her a close friend despite hardly knowing anything about her. She had her heart on the right spot and that was all that mattered to him.

"So… I spoke to a friend; he spends his time helping veterans and talking to them… I asked him for some advice, to be honest. Usually, you're quiet but not like this. I'm not really sure how to deal with this you and this is the first time we're alone. I figured he could help me a little. This is different than people having PTSD or anything so I don't really know how much his advice will help. I'm sorry if this sounds stupid or anything, I just want to do this right. You're my friend and I don't like seeing you like this. Either way, I brought a deck of cards with me."

He showed her the deck, silently asking if she wanted to play. Natasha put the book aside and he took that as a yes. Steve dealt and they started playing. She drew a card when it was her turn and played another. Steve did the same.

"So, Loki has been helping? I'm still wary about it, to be honest, but he actually seems alright now. I'm glad he's taking the time to help you. I was against him seeing you but by the looks of it, he's proving my doubts wrong. As long as it benefits you, I'm happy. I miss the old you, no offence to this you. It's just… it's weird. To me."

He stopped talking when he realized he had started rambling. They played in silence for a while and Steve chuckled when Natasha won the first game.

"No wonder Tony doesn't want to play anything with you. You're really good." He mused, "Another one?"

He dealt again and they played another time. It didn't take long for Natasha to win again. Steve just smiled and dealt again. He wasn't a sore loser. They spent the next hour playing together. Steve only managed to win a few games while Natasha won most of them.

"Do you miss him? Loki, I mean?"

He didn't expect an answer and he didn't get one either. He probably wouldn't have gotten one even if Natasha would speak. It was a sensitive and rather personal topic. He just wanted to talk to her and this was the first day Loki hadn't come to see her.

"I just thought maybe you've grown used to seeing him. I know it's only been a week since his daily visits started but it's becoming quite the habit, I think. If someone came to see me every day, I would probably get used to it too. I know I'd appreciate the company. Maybe you're different though."

He offered her a smile and then got up. He packed the cards again but decided to leave them with her, putting them down on her nightstand. Natasha watched him do so without moving from her spot.

"I should go. I still have some things to do and it's gotten quite late. I can come back in a bit though. Do you want me to keep the others away when they come back? Tony and Clint are probably going to be drunk by the time they get back. Tony at least. He misses Pepper. I'll keep him away and make sure Clint is sober enough to see you."

He left once he was sure she was okay, waiting for the others to come back.

Natasha took the set of cards and played by herself. It was something new compared to reading all day.

* * *

Loki was surprised when Thor came to see him the next day. Not by the visit itself but by the news he had come with.

"You want me to have dinner with you?"

"Do not be so skeptical, brother. Father asked me to inform you that you will join us for dinner tonight. He knows you are doing better. You do not deserve this anymore."

"Oh but I do, do I not? After all, who would trust a liar like me?"

"Loki!"

"You told them I was seeing Agent Romanoff. Mother came to see me last night and would not stop talking about it. I had really hoped you would know better than to give her false hope like that." He snarled, changing topics.

He had known Thor wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut about it but he truly wasn't happy. He had wanted to avoid the subject of Natasha but that hope was all gone now. That was probably the reason Odin had decided to be so generous and let him eat with them.

"Of course I did. I am happy you are helping-"

"I am not. Helping. I see her for my own sake, not hers. When will you start realizing that I do not care about her?"

Thor shook his head, not the least bit surprised or offended by Loki's outburst. It made him smile. Loki grew irritated by the broad chuckle filling the room and narrowed his eyes. Clearly, he was missing something obviously funny.

"I will get you for dinner tonight."

Thor left after that and Loki stared at him until he was out of sight.

"What is Odin planning..?" He asked himself.

* * *

He spent the next hours finishing his book, putting it aside with a huff when he was through. He couldn't tell why it had been this one that had caught his utter interest. The similarities between him and his brother and the book had only gotten worse the further he had read it. He hadn't been able to bring himself to abandon reading it though. Maybe he had hoped to find solace in the ending. He hadn't.

The golden son, loved by everyone and showered in love by his father against the villainous younger brother that nobody liked. Followed by a ploy from the youngest to get his older brother banished so he could take his place and get the love he deserved. Loki found it somewhat amusing. He could just picture Thor running off with a band of misfits to fight against the system after the family betrayal. Loki laughed at the mental picture before remembering his defeat by the Avengers. Suddenly, the thought wasn't quite as funny anymore. The ending was far more dramatic than Thor and Loki had experienced themselves and it hadn't brought him the happiness he thought it would. However, he did have to admit it was quite the impressive play. For a piece written by a mortal over 200 years ago, it was really good. He would need to get more of these the next time he visited Earth.

Evening came and Thor wasn't far behind, opening the doors to Loki's cell with a greeting and letting him get out.

"Father is waiting for us."

"I'm sure he is…" Loki mumbled.

All the thinking on what Odin could have up his sleeve had gotten him nowhere. He wasn't sure what to make of the sudden turn of events. Did Odin suddenly care and show an interest in him or was this just a pity meal with the family? He didn't trust Odin.

They went to the dining hall and Loki smiled when he saw his mother. She returned the smile, glad to see him. Odin's single eye rested on his youngest son and Loki growled in the back of his throat, not saying a word as he sat down. Thor sat next to him, happy to dine with his brother and oblivious to his discomfort.

"Loki, Thor told us you have been visiting one of his mortal friends, helping her. Is this true?" Odin asked, his voice booming through the hall.

"I have been visiting her…"

He would deny helping her for as long as he could. He was not helping.

"He says he does it for his own sake but he is helping her. I know he is." Thor said.

He was silenced by his father's glare, muttering a quick apology. Loki found some humor in the situation but his smile didn't stay long.

"Go on, Loki."

"I do not care if I help her or not. I see her to satisfy my curiosity. I already told mother this last night. The mortals decided that my presence would be of assistance to her recovery."

"And has it been?"

"I do not know. The archer would not tell me even if I asked."

"Have you attempted to hurt her or avenge your defeat by them?"

"No…"

"Do you care for her?"

"Of course not."

Loki had just about enough of being interrogated like this. He would much rather eat by himself than be under such close scrutiny.

"Why are you so interested in her condition?"

"Because some lowly mortal broke her when I could not. I need to understand how."

"So you could do the same to her?"

Thor was about to interrupt again when Odin raised his hand to silence him. Frigga all but stared at Loki, almost afraid of his answer. He looked annoyed, half glaring at the food on his plate before looking up at Odin again.

"She is no fun to me when she is broken. Cracked, perhaps but not broken like she is now. I have no wish to use anything I learn against her."

"Why her, Loki?"

"Because she is _interesting_. Unlike the rest of Thor's little friends." He stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I would like to eat in peace now, if you don't mind."

Odin waved his hand dismissively and they all resumed eating. Frigga knew he was satisfied with Loki's answers and she too was happy to detect no ill will towards the mortal woman. She gave Loki a motherly smile when he looked up at her and he returned it. She was the one bright spot in his life.

Once dinner was done, Odin rose to his feet.

"Loki, I will consider moving you from your cell in the next days. Perhaps after your next visit on Midgard you can be trusted enough to go back to your chambers."

Loki looked at him with wide eyes, not quite believing his words. This came as a big surprise to him. He missed the next words the Allfather said and only realized he had talked to Thor when his brother hurled him up and tugged him outside.

"What?"

"You must go back for now, Loki. I'm certain father will move you soon. He has seen your good will." Thor smiled happily.

"Yes… Certainly…" Loki mumbled.

* * *

**Okay, so, The Robbers is a play by Schiller that was published in 1781. It's about two brothers, one that is loved by everyone and the younger one that is more cunning and evil. Following the ploy of the younger one, the older brother gets banished and joins a group of robbers. He becomes their leader and they fight against the feudal system and its ways. It's a rather complex story, on plot as well as character development and when I read it again a while back, it truly reminded me of Thor and Loki. It's perfect. So I had to put this in. This was also my absolute favorite play to read in school. If you ever get a chance to read this, I highly recommend it. Yay for German Literature that came out during that time. Not so much anymore.**

**Anyways, as always, please take the time to leave me review. I would highly appreciate it and I would love you forever.**


	5. Explanations

**Thanks again so much for all the reviews and interest in this little thing of mine! You guys are the best! So, apparently Fanfiction censors reviews now and that left me with some very confusing feedback! For example, the name Frigga was censored to F***, so you can see how that just doesn't work out for me. At all. It doesn't even make any sense. Anyway, this is another longer chapter and it gives us a first flashback! It'll cover a bit of what happened, sort of. I don't really know what to think of this but as long as you guys are happy with it, so am I. Enjoy and please leave me a review with some thoughts!**

* * *

When the boys had come back the previous night, both Tony and Clint had been far too drunk to see Natasha. Steve had been surprised by just how far gone Clint had been and he had to keep both the men away. Bruce had apologized profusely for the state they had been in but it had been impossible to keep them away from the liquor. He had tried. It had been quite the commotion on Natasha's floor and despite his ridiculous hangover, Clint went to apologize to her now. Tony's hangover was a lot worse and after a quick breakfast, he had gone straight back to bed. Clint distinctively remembered Steve and Bruce giving them a lecture about their drinking and the noise they had made but most of the night before was missing from his memory. He cursed himself about it now but he knew he had needed that. He finally reached her door and knocked a few times.

"Tasha?" He asked, poking his head inside, "I came to apologize for last night. I didn't mean to get so drunk but Stark can be pretty damn convincing when he wants to be. Sorry about all the noise. I hope we didn't disturb you too much. So, Steve said he brought you some cards… You wanna play?"

Natasha just looked at him and Clint went inside before he took the deck of cards from her nightstand. He sat down next to her on the bed and gave her a smile before dealing.

"You're gonna kick my ass, aren't you?"

* * *

Thor decided to cut his stay on Asgard shorter than it usually was. He thought it would be good for Natasha's recovery if Loki wouldn't stay away for too long. He was certain his little brother was helping her move on and staying away for a good month at the very least would only stagnate that. He wasn't willing to take that risk.

Loki was still in his cell in the dungeons. He had finished another book he had taken from Natasha's shelves, the rest of them a neat pile by his bed. It had only been two days since the dinner with his family but it had felt much longer for the young God.

Thor arrived at Loki's cell and informed him of the change of plans. He got him out and after one quick stop by the Allfather to get Loki's magic bound once again, they were on their way to Heimdall again. Though Thor kept talking on the way there, Loki paid it no attention. He was deep in thoughts and completely shut out his surroundings. Especially his brother. It wasn't a very long journey to the Observatory but Thor could never just shut up and be quiet. It was an annoying habit Loki had learnt to deal with.

"I wish you a pleasant stay on Midgard."

Loki looked up when he realized Heimdall had spoken, successfully ripping him away from his thoughts. It was just in time to prepare himself for the journey back to Midgard. Going into the Bifrost unprepared was a thing he had managed once and never again. It wasn't his most pleasant memory.

* * *

As soon as Loki set foot on Earth he lamely excused himself. He had no interest in going back to the apartment with Thor. No, he needed to get back to Avenger's Tower as quickly as possible. Thor frowned in confusion, not following his brother's train of thoughts but a moment later, Loki disappeared and Thor was left to wander New York by himself. Loki had teleported right into the lobby of the tower, looking around. There was nobody there and he found himself rather glad for it. He did not wish to have anyone ask for an explanation of his sudden appearance. He was here for one reason only and that was certainly not it. He growled quietly when he realized that with the size of the building it would take him forever to find the archer. He could not understand what Stark needed all this space for. It was utterly ridiculous. While his own apartment was as small as his entire bedchambers, this was the complete opposite. One man did not need all this space. Even with the Avengers having entire floors to themselves, the tower was a waste of space. Loki made a face of disgust when he remembered the beating he had received on the upper level. Knowing Stark, he had probably kept the memento. It would not come as a surprise to him. He made a mental note to avoid that floor at all costs.

"Now, where is the archer..?" Loki wondered aloud.

He didn't expect an answer, being alone in the hall, so when a voice suddenly called out to him, he couldn't quite hide his surprise.

"Agent Barton is currently located in the gym on the fifth floor, Sir."

Loki looked around again but still there was no one. He narrowed his eyes at the mortal magic.

"I'm sorry if I have startled you."

Loki missed whatever it was the voice said next, putting the pieces together himself. He remembered Stark telling Thor to call Jarvis should he need anything the first time they came here together. He had inquired about that later, when he had been alone with Thor again, and his brother had explained that Jarvis was the AI of the tower. Stark's butler. He would never get used to that. He could work with a lot of Midgardian technology by now but this just seemed like too much. Why not hire a real butler? Stark had the money for it and the space as well. Surely, a human would do the job better than an artificial intelligence. But then again, when were humans ever good at anything? Loki chuckled to himself before vanishing.

He reappeared in the middle of the gym and was delighted to see Barton and the Captain jump out of their skins.

"What the hell are you doing here? Thor didn't even tell us you guys came back."

Clint was anything but pleased to see him, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Steve too didn't look too happy, frowning at the sudden intrusion. They were both obviously waiting for an explanation as to what he was doing here.

"I came to talk to you." He told Clint.

Clint raised his eyebrows in surprise before narrowing his eyes in suspicion. He would have expected him to go see Natasha, if anything, but coming to talk to him of all people? That was new. When he made no further move to explain himself, Clint gave Steve a look to leave them alone. The soldier nodded reluctantly and left the gym to give them some space.

"Talk then…"

"Before I go see Agent Romanoff again, I wish to know what happened when you found her. Thor did not tell me much. He thought it was not his place. But it is yours."

"Why? Why would I tell you anything? Whatever I tell you could be used against her. Not that it would actually gain you a lot of information. There's really not a lot to tell and I don't think I want you to know in the first place."

"I can understand why you would be cautious, Agent Barton, but I still have no intention to harm her. You asked me to help her but I cannot do so if I do not know everything."

Clint was about to argue with that but paused, considering his argument. He had to admit the God had a point. And as much as he hated to admit it, Loki had never shown any ill will towards Natasha. He hadn't attempted to hurt or kill her in any way.

"Alright, fine. I'll tell you."

Loki bowed his head as a brief thanks. Thor had barely given him any information on the matter. His curiosity had gotten the better of him once again the day before. It had been occupying his mind ever since. He needed to know more. They sat down and Clint started talking.

* * *

**~Flashback~**

Natasha had missed her first check-in an hour ago. After the second one she missed, Fury called in all of the Avengers to look for her and brief them on the issue. If she was missing, it would take all of them to get her back. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were out of the questions for this. Even Fury's best weren't good enough for an extraction like that. Mostly because Natasha was his best agent and she was the one missing. This was beyond worrisome.

As soon as Clint was informed, he abandoned his current mission in Miami and took the next best flight home. The rest of his team could handle the mission without him. Natasha was more important.

Steve, Bruce and Tony were all at the tower when the call came in and they left to get to the HQ as quickly as possible.

Thor was already in New York and word made it to him quickly, thanks to Tony. He would stop short at nothing to retrieve his friend and they could certainly use the help of a God.

Once everyone was in Fury's office, they got a quick briefing.

"We don't know where she is. Last time she checked in she was just outside Ottawa, Canada. That was a good ten hours ago. The local team checked her last coordinates but found nothing. We have no idea who we're dealing with here. You might not even find her. I'll give you the coordinates on your way there." Fury explained.

This was hard for him but he knew it was even harder for all of them. While Natasha was a top spy and agent and somewhat of a personal friend to him, she was much more to the Avengers. They were all close friends, some closer to her than others. His eye rested on Clint who did a surprisingly good job at keeping a calm façade. Tony on the other hand made no secret out of his feelings.

"What the hell do you mean she's missing? What even was her mission there? What's so damn important that she ends up missing? This is Romanoff we're talking about here. She doesn't just _go missing_."

Fury had long expected this to come up. He had thought Tony would pop the questions before he had even time to tell them anything. He slid a folder over the table to Stark who picked it up and opened it. It held all the information on her mission, including the target, the objective and location.

"Location is Ottawa, Canada… Blah, blah, blah, uninteresting stuff… Target is a Bill Heighton, international arms dealer. Objective: Bring him in or take him out? Seriously? Who even writes these things?"

"Wait. So she was supposed to either arrest him or kill him?" Steve frowned.

He never liked that Fury called Natasha in if he needed an assassination to be done and he liked it even less when Fury decided somebody needed to be killed.

"Yes, that was her mission. You know how it goes, Rogers. Sometimes it's the only way."

"Why did she go alone?"

He turned his focus to Bruce then, rubbing his temple against the upcoming migraine.

"He's dangerous but not dangerous enough for her to need backup. We don't have anyone available whose stealth skill can match hers. This was supposed to be a simple and quick infiltration. You know how Romanoff works. She likes doing missions by herself. She's best when she works alone, especially on shit like that."

"What about an extraction plan?"

"You are the extraction plan, Agent Barton. All of you are."

"Do you think it was that Heighton guy?"

"I don't know. He's not known for kidnappings and I honestly don't think Romanoff couldn't take him. We might have something completely different on our hands here. Keep your eyes open for anything. Get ready, there'll be a jet waiting for you."

Fury dismissed the team and left the office. The others stared after him, still trying to comprehend what had just happened. It wasn't every day that Natasha disappeared. Bruce was the first one to speak up again.

"We need a plan."

"We can make the plan on the way. Right now, we need to get ready to leave. The quicker the better."

Everybody nodded in agreement. There was nothing to argue with there. The five of them left, each retreating to their spots in New York to prepare themselves for the upcoming mission.

They met up about half an hour later and started to formulate a plan on the way to the jet. Clint got into the cockpit while the others stayed in the back. He could still hear them well enough.

"First we should make a perimeter around the city and check for possible locations. We should also find Heighton's hideout, maybe she's there. Tony, get Jarvis to help us in any way possible. I suggest we start with the outskirts of the city and then make our way to the centre. If there's still nothing, we need to widen our search of the surrounding areas."

"What do we do when we find her?"

"We bring her home."

"And if she's with Heighton?"

"I'll put an arrow through his head." Clint hissed from the cockpit.

They spent the first two days searching the outskirts of Ottawa in the set perimeter. They asked the people that lived close-by if they had seen her but it was an unsuccessful search. Clint felt ready to run up walls, Tony cursed more than necessary. He also completely tired himself out when he tried to upgrade his suit and develop anything that could help in their search. Bruce had to pull him away from work so he could get some rest. Thor went back to New York every night so Loki wouldn't wonder where he was. He didn't need long to join them again in the morning.

The next evening, Steve and Bruce tried to work out some more ideas to make the search as efficient as possible. It had been another unsuccessful day though they had made some progress towards the inside of the city, covering the entire warehouse district. Tony had already crashed and Clint was too preoccupied to join the conversation.

By the end of the week they had covered the entire city, some parts even twice. None of them had found a clue as to where she could be and there were more than a few doubts that she wasn't in the city anymore. They were starting to think the worst and it did them no good. They were doing terrible. All of them. Steve felt guilty about not being able to find her and Thor could understand him all too well. He too was disappointed in himself. Tony was insufferable, obviously beyond worried about Natasha. Bruce found it more and more difficult to remain calm, especially with everybody's agitation and anxiety. Clint's mood was the worst of them all and he had already broken about half the things in his quarters.

Tony left to make one last turn over the forest outside town. He was grasping at straws now but he didn't care. He couldn't believe his eyes when he spotted her red hair in the snow.

"Oh my God…"

He called the others, letting them know he had found her and giving them the coordinates to meet him there. They had never been quicker to arrive anywhere in their entire lives. Tony was waiting for them already, having done a first and not very proper check-up. She looked terrible and he had been afraid they might be too late but the weak pulse he had found was somewhat reassuring. It wasn't much but at least she wasn't dead.

"Natasha!"

Clint was by her side in a heartbeat, touching her cheek carefully. She was frozen to the touch and much paler than usually, her red hair a terrifying contrast to her skin. They didn't spend much time in taking in the damage done to her body.

"She was unconscious when I found her. We need to get her back right away."

Steve pulled Clint up again and Thor stepped closer, carefully picking her up. She weighted next to nothing in his arms.

They brought her back to the headquarters in Ottawa and Bruce made the proper check-up once there. He needed to do scans and tests but Clint, who had insisted on staying with her, made working rather difficult. He was not helping at all. The others had agreed to wait outside, giving Bruce all the space he needed.

"How bad is it?"

Bruce sighed and turned to look at Clint.

"Look, you're not really helping right now, Clint. You should wait outside with the others."

He wasn't sure he should see Natasha like this. Clint argued but gave up quickly when he saw Bruce's expression. He apologized and left, reluctantly. Bruce quickly went back to work. She had lost a lot of blood though there hadn't been much where they had found her. She looked more dead than alive. When he was done with the first scans, he realized it was more of a miracle that she was still alive than he had originally thought. He had no idea how long it would take for her to regain consciousness. He also didn't know how long she had been out for already. Bruce wasn't even sure she would make it out of this one without any lasting damage.

It was hours later that he re-joined the others, done with every single test and scan he could think of. He had made a full report of the extent of her injuries. The team was still waiting for any news and he delivered not long later. Natasha was left under the nurse's care for now.

"She's stable, though still weak. She's taken a serious beating… She's got three broken ribs and her left hand is broken too. There's a slight head trauma but it's nothing too bad. Her brain is fine. She's dehydrated though and still has a mild hypothermia. It's getting better now that she's here. There were a lot of bruises and cuts on her body. She's going to be fine, physically speaking but there are going to be a few more scars. I hope she can tell us more when she wakes up."

He left out the amount of wounds he found that corresponded to torture wounds. Her clothes were hiding most of them but there had been nearly a dozen small puncture wounds and larger wounds that he would identify as stab wounds. He had even found a bullet wound in her leg. Her recovery would take long.

There were a few curses from various sources filling the hallway and Bruce established a quick timetable for when they could all go see her.

"Thor, you cannot tell Loki about any of this."

Thor frowned at Clint, who had sounded awfully accusing.

"My brother does not wish to hear about any of you." He said sadly, continuing at Clint's look, "I will not tell him anything."

Clint just nodded absently. He was the first one to go and see her. She looked absolutely miserable and it was a good thing that most of her injuries were hidden under her hospital gown and the layers of blankets that kept her warm.

It took another two days for her to wake up again and the initial joy of having her back vanished quickly when she didn't speak and barely even reacted to their presence. She looked as if she didn't even realize they were there, lost in her own little world. She was completely unresponsive. Something had gone terribly wrong on that mission.

The physical aspect of her condition was the least of the problem at the moment. Somebody had somehow broken her will.


	6. A Lead

**Thanks again for the wonderful reviews! I wasn't sure on the flashback so I'm glad to see you liked it. This chapter is shorter than the last but I tried. I'm not too convinced on it but we're making progress! The next one will be important and I have some great ideas for future developments. Please let me know what you think, I appreciate any feedback :)**

* * *

Loki let out a long breath when Clint was done talking. That had not at all sounded good. He could not imagine the Spider broken in every way possible. He narrowed his eyes at the mental image. As much as he would have liked to see her broken mere months prior, it had only ever been on a psychological level. Never physically. Although he doubted it made much of a difference to her. She relied on her body as much as she relied on her mind, breaking one or the other was all the same. The request to Thor to keep quiet about the entire thing however, did not come as a surprise to him. Of course they would want to keep him as far away from this as possible. After all, this was still him.

"Thank you, Agent Barton."

"Don't make me regret this, that's all I'm asking. She's been doing a little better the past days and I'd like to keep it that way."

Loki dismissed the news with a wave of his hand. He got up and teleported away again. There were still questions he needed answers to but he did not wish to ask Barton. He wasn't too fond of the man and he knew the feeling was mutual. It was easier to keep the contact to as little as needed. Perhaps he would see the Captain later. For now, it drew him to the very top of Stark's tower. It was nice to be able to see over most of the city. The fog that hung over it, on the other side, was disgusting to him. Asgard was clean and pure, free of pollution. It was so very unlike this place. It almost made him miss it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Clint went to see Natasha. Since apparently Loki was back now, he needed to let her know in case the God would just decide to go and see her. She also needed to know what he had told him. He knocked before entering, smiling at her sheepishly. She was sitting by the window, her hair wet and the room steamy. She had just come out of the shower.

"Hey. I just came to let you know that Loki is back. Thor forgot to mention they'd be back so soon… Also, he asked about what happened when we found you. I told him the whole thing, sorry. I just figured he could help better if he knew. I mean, the guy's been behaving well enough. He hasn't tried to hurt you or anything. I know he's a crazy train wreck but as long as he plays nice, I guess working with him is better for you than working against him. He's probably gonna come see you later."

His phone rang suddenly and he fished it out of his pocket, cursing to himself when he checked the caller-ID.

"It's Fury. I gotta take this. See you in a bit, Nat."

He rushed out of the room, muttering to himself before answering his phone. The door fell shut behind him but he paid it no attention. He just hoped to God that this wasn't about a new assignment. He needed to stay here with Natasha, not go save the world. Fury sounded as serious as ever but Clint could make out the small shimmer of hope in his voice.

"Meet me in the office in an hour. I have news for you."

The director hung up again once Clint had confirmed the time with him. It wasn't the first time he got a call like this out of the blue but he also knew this one was different. Whatever the news were, it was important. Very important. He found Steve quickly to let him know he'd be gone for a little while and to look after Natasha, just in case. As soon as that was taken care of, he departed to get to the HQ.

Loki saw him leave and it only took him a second to decide on his next step. He teleported back inside, into the gym. It was only a small surprise that he found it empty.

"Where may I find Captain Rogers?"

"The Captain is with Miss Romanoff at the moment. Do you want me to inform him that you wish to see him?" Jarvis replied.

The AI was still odd to Loki but it was easy enough to understand how it worked.

"No, thank you."

He was in no real rush. He could wait, for now.

* * *

It was a good half an hour later that Steve left Natasha's room again. Loki had tried familiarizing himself with the equipment in the gym but he could not make sense of half the things there. Mortals were weird. He met Steve in the hallway on Natasha's floor, having moved there minutes before. It was almost disappointing to see he did not seem surprised by his presence.

"Loki." He greeted, "She's resting."

The God grinned briefly before nodding his head. This was a serious matter he came to speak about. He was not here to see Natasha. Not yet anyway. No, Loki still had questions burning on the tip of his tongue and he had waited long enough now.

"I am here to speak with you, Captain."

"Me? Why?"

"Agent Barton told me about the events following Agent Romanoff's disappearance. What has happened to the man she was sent after?"

Steve's eyes lit up with recognition and he nodded once. If Clint already told him this much, he saw no reason not to answer his questions.

"I don't know where he is, if that's what you're asking. He wasn't there when we found her and our priority was to get Natasha back. Fury has his best team on it though. They were tasked with finding him and I'm certain they will."

"He is still out there then?"

"Yes. But we don't actually know if it was him. Natasha is the only one that knows…"

"And she refuses to speak." Loki concluded.

He cared not if this man was the one who had broken her. He was the reason Natasha was in this state now and he would make sure to pay him a visit. If it weren't for that mission, none of this would have happened to her in the first place. Loki growled quietly, angry with himself about the sudden feeling of protectiveness over her.

When Steve felt the conversation was over, he exited the floor hesitantly, leaving Loki behind. By now, he trusted the trickster enough to leave him by himself. He doubted Loki would go and hurt Natasha. Even though Steve was currently the only Avenger in the tower that could defend her, he knew Loki wasn't that stupid. He had faith that things would remain peaceful.

Loki looked after him, raising his eyebrows when he realized he left him to it. It came as a surprise to him that the soldier showed this much trust in him. After all, Steve had been the one to protest against his involvement the most. Pushing the thought aside for a later time, Loki turned on his heel to get to the door that led into Natasha's chambers. It was a mere moment of hesitation later that he opened the door, no bothering to knock. He stepped inside and looked around when he couldn't spot her on the bed. This was new. It didn't take long to find her though and when he finally looked at her, Natasha was already staring back at him. She was still by the window, a towel resting in her lap. It was then that he noticed her hair was still a little wet. She wasn't even reading this time and Loki guessed she had spent her time looking out of the window. She had watched the city, much like he had.

"Agent Romanoff…"

He bowed his head in greeting and took in her appearance. She looked better, if one could call it that. The last time he had seen her, she had been rather pale but the color had finally returned to her cheeks.

"Barton told me what has happened when they found you. He made it sound like a miracle that you made it. You do not look like your body has gone through such hardship."

Most of her body was covered by layers of clothes so it was hard to tell what it looked like underneath. He had his own fair share of scars. He could relate. His expression softened the smallest bit when she looked up at him like that. He truly did miss her fire. With a flick of his fingers he made sure the camera would not pick up any more audio. This conversation was for her ears only.

"My mother is very interested in you. Thor told her what has happened to you. Or rather what he knows of. It is not much but mother is very compassionate. Thor cares about you and so she does as well."

Loki stepped closer, coming to a halt once he was next to her. His gaze fell to the outside world and Natasha followed his example when he remained silent. It was a nice view from here. He could understand why she would enjoy being here.

"He told them I was visiting you. They think there is still hope for me. Ridiculous, is it not? We both know I'm too far gone. But mother always had faith in me. She always saw the good in me even when there was none left."

He draped a hand down his face and sighed. Natasha believed she could redeem herself. He turned to look at her, frowning in concentration. Perhaps not all was lost for him. Not that he wanted redemption. But the idea of breaking his mother's heart again did not sit well with him. Maybe in helping the spy, he could make his mother happy. For once that he would not be a disappointment to her. Though this entire affair was still solely about his curiosity, if he helped her in the process then it would not be the end of the world.

His attention went back to the streets when there was an ambulance passing just below them. The noise was irritating to him. He looked at Natasha again through the reflection of the window, studying her. She looked so very different now than she had when they had first met. Loki shook his head when he realized he was growing sentimental again. Now was not the time for that.

"I am most curious about your mission. The one that has gotten you to this point. Your friends told me the man responsible is still walking freely. I do not understand. How can they spend their days in this building and not attempt to go after him? Do they not care enough to avenge you? Surely, you can be left alone without anything happening to you. You do not need to be looked after as if you were a child. I cannot understand why they are not on the hunt for this man."

Natasha had turned her head to look at him when he had started talking once more. He wondered if his little outburst was surprising to her. It certainly was to him. But he truly could not understand her friends. He would be on his toes searching for the man, hunting him until he was dead. He shook his head and decided to change topics. This one would only enrage him further and he did not wish for her to notice that he cared more than he should.

"I quite liked the books I have taken with me the last time. I had time to read a few. I suppose there is not much else to do when you are stuck in a dungeon cell. I will return them to you next time. They are still in Asgard. Thor brought me back rather abruptly. I had hoped for more time to myself before coming back here."

He chuckled bitterly and fell silent. The next hour was spent like that, the two of them watching the city from her window.

* * *

"What's so urgent?"

Fury turned around when Clint burst into his office. He indicated for him to sit down before joining him at the table. The folder with the information was already there and Clint grabbed it when Fury started talking.

"Looks like Coulson's protégé found our guy."

Clint peeked up at that, his interest high. He opened the folder and read through the small report. It wasn't much but Skye had managed to pin a location on Heighton.

"He's in Toronto? Is she sure about this?"

"Coulson tells me she's the best. I don't doubt him."

"When can I leave?"

"There's a jet waiting for you in the hangar but you're not going alone. After what happened to Romanoff, I'm not taking any more chances. Take one of the others with you and report in the second you get there."

Clint muttered under his breath but nodded in agreement. He'd rather leave right away but he could see Fury's point. Natasha was the best and it had not ended well for her. Reinforcements weren't a bad idea at all.

"I'll be on my way then."

He left the office and called Steve. If it had to be any one of the team, Steve was his best choice. The man knew how to be stealthy and he could pack a punch. They had worked together a few times before and Clint knew just how well he was at teamwork. Steve was also an excellent strategist. Besides the fact that Steve was currently the only one available, he would never fall back to Stark. The man was loud and obnoxious and stealth wasn't something he had ever heard of. The same counted for Thor and Banner. And he knew he could trust the three of them to look after Natasha. Stark was already feeling protective of her and Bruce always looked after his friends. She'd be safe with them.

Steve arrived not long after and Clint filled him in quickly. They had no time to waste. They found the jet assigned to them and got in, discussing the mission on the way to Toronto. Finally they had a lead. Maybe they could put the guy behind bars, where he belonged. Or better yet, Clint could put an arrow through his head. Both he and Steve also hoped that they could find out what had happened to Natasha. This was their best shot yet.


	7. A Broken Man

**Hi everyone! I honestly thought this chapter would be longer than it is but it's still just under 3000 words which isn't too bad. I'd like to cover a few things before we get started but feel free to skip over this :)**

**1. I'm going out of the country until next week in a few days so I cannot promise you a chapter on Monday. I will try to get it up but I'm not sure I'll manage. Please be patient for that and I already apologize for the delay.  
2. To my lovely guest reviewer: I'm so happy you take the time to come back to this each week and leave a review. It's really fantastic so thank you very much!  
3. To all my other reviewers and everyone who reads along this or has faved it: THANK YOU. The support is great and it's important for me to know this isn't complete rubbish.  
4. I SUCK at writing action/fighting scenes. That being said, there are some in here so I would appreciate feedback on that. Either way, I do hope they're not too lame !  
5. I feel like the writing hasn't gotten better since the first chapter but worse? The thing is, the first one was exclusively written out of Loki's POV but I have all the other characters in it now so I try only to do that when it's Loki alone. I hope that made sense and you don't mind too much?  
I don't know what to think of this chapter. Personally, I like it and I'm quite satisfied with it. I also hope I get every character right - that's very important to me. We're pushing the story forward in this one too, big time. So, as always, please let me know what you think :) **

* * *

The chase had been going on for two days now. Heighton had fled his base and to a new location just as the two Avengers had gotten to Toronto. Clint was in constant contact with Skye who was keeping tabs on Heighton's whereabouts. So far, they had not managed to catch up with him and Clint was starting to lose it. He was frustrated. Steve on the other hand was keeping his cool and it helped the archer remain somewhat calm. At least he hadn't shot anything yet. Or anyone. They checked in regularly, both with Fury and Stark. Loki had been visiting Natasha the past days but that was all that had been happening. It was somewhat reassuring to know she wasn't doing any worse while they were gone. Clint certainly needed to hear that.

"Skye has news." Steve announced.

He was checking the laptop and Clint came over to look at the update.

"That girl deserves some flowers and chocolate."

"Isn't she trying to become an agent?"

"Yeah. They better approve. She's gold."

He scribbled down the new coordinates and they got ready for another run. By now, they were just outside Toronto. It drew them to an abandoned warehouse district this time. It took them less than twenty minutes to get to the location Skye had given them. The area was clear, surprisingly, and the two men infiltrated the facility quietly. The building gave enough room for Clint to cover the upper area, finding a ladder to climb that led up to the pipes. Steve remained on the ground. They encountered the first guards but quickly disposed of them, knocking them unconscious. They were not here to kill anyone. Steve made sure they dropped soundlessly, not willing to alert anybody to their presence. They made a lot of progress in a matter of minutes and soon enough, they were able to clearly hear voices. They were close now. Clint joined Steve again after one last check of their surroundings. Better be safe than sorry. All the guards were out for now; they'd have enough time. It left them one room in the back of the building left to investigate. The two advanced toward it, signalling each other just before Steve burst the door open. Four guns immediately trained on him but one throw of his shield had two of the men knocked out. Clint took care of the other two, his arrows leaving them with restricted movement and they were smart enough not to try anything again. He then aimed his next arrow at the blond sitting at the desk.

"Make me use this, I dare you."

"Captain America and Hawkeye. What a lovely surprise."

"Stand down, Agent Barton. Heighton, this has been going on for long enough. You're under arrest." Steve said calmly, putting his shield back in place.

Heighton had other plans though and he drew his gun, firing a shot. Steve blocked it with his shield at the very last moment and Clint let go of the string of his bow as soon as the bullet left the gun. His arrow hit the target in the blink of an eye, embedding itself into Heighton's right shoulder. The gun fell to the ground as he let out a cry of pain, gripping his shoulder around the arrow.

"You wanna try that again?"

"You son of a bitch." He grumbled.

The pain he felt now was obvious enough to anyone with eyes and Clint clearly enjoyed the sight. Steve put him under arrest while Clint collected any data that might be useful to them. They got him out of the building and back to the HQ in Toronto where Heighton received medical treatment.

Once he was cleared for travelling, the two Avengers put him into a jet and the three made the trip back to New York. The moment they reached the HQ, Clint pulled out his phone to call Tony. Steve led Heighton inside and into an interrogation room, waiting for Fury.

"Stark? How's Tasha?"

"Relax, cupid. Natasha is fine. Did you get him?"

"Yeah, we just got back. He's in HQ now, Roger's bringing him into interrogation. Don't tell her, alright?"

"Gotcha. I'll be right there."

Clint hung up again and followed Steve's trail. It wasn't often that Tony was dead serious but this time, it was no surprise. Everybody knew he cared a great deal about Natasha. He was protective of her despite knowing she could take care of herself. She could take all of them out in a heartbeat but it didn't change Tony's feelings. They had become really good friends since their first encounter, oddly enough, and they could handle each other. Tony left the building and supervising Natasha in Bruce's hands. He took the fastest way to HQ. He would not waste a second in getting there and he broke several speed limits in the process.

Fury was the one interrogating Heighton with Steve's help. Clint had been banned to the observation room. He couldn't be trusted to keep his cool. So far, Heighton had not spoken a word and everyone's patience was wearing thin, even Steve's. Tony found Clint easily enough and they watched the scene through the mirror.

"How's it going?"

"Like shit. Guy hasn't said a word since he got here."

"Damnit…"

"They're not going anywhere like this. If Fury would just let me have a go at that asshole, I'd get the information we want."

"Yeah and you'd break his face, Legolas. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see that but I don't think it's gonna help him talk."

Clint rubbed his temple, closing his eyes to think. Stark was right, sadly. He looked up again when he heard the door, just in time to see Fury and Steve exit the room. It took a few moments before the door to the observation room opened and the two stepped in.

"Stark… I see Barton informed you."

"Yeah. So, he's not talking?"

"He hasn't even asked for a goddamn lawyer. We'll leave him in one of the cells for tonight." Fury replied before looking at Clint and Steve respectively, "Go home and get some rest. We'll try again tomorrow. And keep Stark away from the vodka."

Tony chuckled bitterly, grimacing. There went his plans of getting drunk tonight. Fury was right though. It was late by now and there wasn't much they could do anymore. Steve and Clint had been up since the early morning hours and they needed all the rest they could get. Tomorrow, they had all day to break Heighton's silence.

* * *

News of the capture travelled fast and by the end of the evening, word had gotten to Loki. He was anything but happy. As soon as Thor had fallen asleep, Loki teleported into S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters before making his way through the facility unnoticed. It was disappointing how easily he could sneak around. For a building that was full of spies and agents, even at this hour, it was far too easy. He wondered how they ever got anything done like this. It took him quite some time to find the holding cell that Heighton inhabited but it wasn't particularly difficult. He got inside using his magic once he had taken care of the cameras there. It was a blessing that Odin left him with harmless magic. The man lying on the bed was deeply asleep but Loki had no intention of keeping it this way. He grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the opposite wall. The impact had the desired effect and the blond was wide awake instantly.

"What the-?!"

"You will only speak to answer my questions, mortal."

He grabbed him again and squeezed his windpipe until Heighton nodded, ringing for air. Loki was going to enjoy this greatly. He kept him up against the wall like this, his hold easing enough to allow him to speak.

"Agent Romanoff. Did you encounter her?"

"Yes." He whimpered, obviously scared.

"Tell me."

"The bitch showed up at my hideout so I got rid of her." He shrieked.

It was a ridiculous sound coming from a grown man but Loki delighted in it.

"How?"

"Look, man, what do you want? I can pay you anything."

"I'm not interested in your money. What did you do to her?"

Suddenly, Heighton's whole demeanour changed and he grinned at Loki maliciously. Gone was the frightened man that had feared for his life, replaced by a man with no regrets. Loki was staring at somebody that got a sick sense of happiness from the knowledge of what he had done to Natasha.

"What did you do?" He growled, irritated.

"Go to hell. Bitch got what she deserved."

In a sudden fit of rage, Loki smashed him further into the wall. Even without his magic he was still much stronger than the mortal. He threw him across the room again, almost knocking him unconscious. The smugness of the human was infuriating. How had he dared to lay a finger on Natasha? He stepped on his hand and smiled when he heard the bones crack and break beneath him. Heighton screamed in pain, unable to hold it back but nobody came to see what was happening. Not that Loki cared at this moment. He would break the mortal tonight. He noticed the wound left by Barton's arrow and knelt down for a well-placed punch into the area. It dislocated his shoulder with a sickening crunch, much to Loki's utter delight.

He broke a dozen more bones in his body, from kicks in the ribs and deliberate blows to the points he wished to see broken and Heighton eventually lost consciousness. Loki stopped his assault then, coming back to his senses slowly. It finally came to him that nobody came to check up on the situation and he wondered if that was because the guards were sleeping on the job or because they knew he was the man that had broken Natasha. Either way, he cared not. He did not wish to be interfered. He sat down on the bed, deciding to wait for the other man to wake up again. It would take a while, no doubt, but he was in no rush whatsoever. He was not done with him yet.

Nearly an hour later, the blond stirred again and Loki stood up to walk the few feet over to him. He crouched down next to him, grinning at the man. Pathetic.

"You are going to die tonight."

Heighton didn't have the strength to reply or even comprehend what Loki had just said. He waited for him to come around enough to realize these were the last minutes of his life. Several minutes later, the pain came back to Heighton and Loki took that as the sign. He hurled him up, narrowing his eyes at him before smashing his skull into the wall. There was a loud, nerve-wrecking crack and the first droplets of blood trickled down the wall. Loki dropped the body, glaring down at the dead man before disappearing again.

* * *

He had considered going back to the apartment, to the comfort of Thor's snoring, but it had drawn him to the Avengers' Tower instead. Surprisingly, Natasha was awake when Loki teleported into her room. He had half hoped she wouldn't be. He had just needed to see her. It had not mattered to him whether or not she would be awake. Now that she was however, he would explain his sudden appearance. He had opened up a little during the past few visits, in favour to silence, and he felt compelled to tell her what had brought him here this time. Besides, it was hours into the night by now, not exactly his usual visiting hours. This was new. He didn't care about the camera this time, not actually having the mind to think about it.

"Agent Romanoff… Do you wonder why I am here at such an hour? You would not be the only one. Your little friends found the man you had been sent after. Did they tell you this?"

It was difficult to say for certain in the dark but Loki thought he saw a flicker of recognition pass her features. He took a step closer to her to take a second look, now not more than two feet away from her bedside.

"They didn't tell you anything, did they? Well, I suppose it does not matter anymore. He is dead now."

Natasha looked at him for a few moments before tilting her head, frowning at him.

He was surprised, to say the least. All this time, she hadn't reacted to anything he had said or done. For over two months she had merely existed in this room, without any unnecessary movement on her part. But now something had just come back to her. Something about Loki's revelation had gotten to her, forcing her to react. And now he was uncertain about how to proceed. He didn't know if this was going to stay the only reaction she would show or if she was slowly coming back around. A somewhat awkward silence fell over them, Loki staring back at Natasha.

"So you are still somewhere in there…" He mumbled after a bit.

He took the chair by her bed and sat down, regarding her quietly.

"Do you want to know what happened?" He paused for a few moments before smiling to himself, "No matter, I will tell you. I found him when he was asleep in his cell. The man would simply not speak and when he did, he should not have. He told me nothing of interest but it was him, no? The man that broke you… So, in return, I broke him. I had the decency to wake him up before breaking his bones. It's funny, despite the screaming, nobody came to see what was happening. He did not last long."

He chuckled humorlessly and tilted his head back to look at the ceiling. He did not understand what had possessed him to kill the man. Loki killed for a cause, never without reason. He did not kill for pleasure and fun. He looked back at Natasha, frowning himself now.

"I do not understand… but now is not the time to wonder about it."

Natasha turned her head back, watching him still.

"Would you like to hear a story of my childhood?"

He didn't bother waiting for a reaction, doubting there would be one. He just went on ahead.

"When Thor was younger, he always sought adventure. He still does. I suppose some things do not change. He would go wherever we were not permitted to be and as a boy, I always followed him. There are many great stories to be told from that time but I think I will start with one of my favorites. Before Thor received his beloved hammer, he had to train with swords like everybody else. He was good, naturally, but far from being the best. The other soldiers would let him win because he was the prince. It made him arrogant. Lady Sif and he got into an argument once about just that. She was disappointed that she could not train with them even though she was much more skilled than he was. He felt insulted, of course, and challenged her to battle. He left her the choice of weapon and out of all the things she could have chosen from, she decided on a broom stick. You should have seen Thor's face. He has never looked more offended in his life. He made his first move and Lady Sif used it against him. She had him down in less than five seconds. It was great. I certainly had fun watching. He took training a lot more serious after that and he refused to be given charitable wins simply because he was a prince. I devoted my time to studying magic in the meantime. I had never been good with swords. Daggers, yes, but not swords. Mother helped me learning. She thought that if I knew magic, I could be great in my own way. But I never could step out of Thor's shadow… I think the Lady Sif would like you. She can appreciate women who can handle themselves. And if not for nothing else, she would like you simply for defeating me. She never liked me much."

Natasha had closed her eyes halfway through the tale, still sitting up but swaying sleepily. She was barely keeping herself awake. He shook his head when he noticed, almost smiling. It was nice to know somebody was interested in what he had to say. It was also much more of a reaction than the previous, although rare, times he had shared anything with her.

"Perhaps you should attempt to sleep. It is quite late."

For a moment he expected her to shake her head childishly and continue trying to remain awake but she opened her eyes just long enough to lie down and get comfortable. She was asleep within a couple of minutes and Loki wondered just how tired she had been and what had kept her awake before he had come.

Instead of going back to Thor, something kept Loki right where he was. He watched Natasha sleep for the next few hours, lost in thoughts and unaware that time passed. When the first rays of sunshine made it through the window, he left soundlessly.


	8. Fairytales

**Sorry for the small delay! The next chapter will be up as usual on Monday! I just want to thank you all again for the reviews and for reading this! I got this really lovely one from a guest and just asdfghjkl Thank You! Your review put a huge smile on my face. I know how difficult it can be to read stories of another ship that isn't your OTP so I'm suuuuuuuper happy you liked it so much! Exciting things are going to happen soon so keep an eye out for them. Especially next week's chapter will be big. As always, reviews are appreciated.**

* * *

Hell had been lose all morning; ever since Heighton had been found dead in his cell. Fury had no leads on it whatsoever and he made everyone's life more difficult because of it. Especially the agents that had had their shift that night suffered. Fury was less than happy. Nobody understood what had happened or how. The camera footage showed nothing at all either. Like someone invisible had broken in just to kill one man. Fury had alerted the Avengers in the morning to tell them the news and Tony had called Thor to forward it. With Heighton dead, all leads on Natasha's condition had come to an abrupt halt.

Clint went to inform Natasha, Tony accompanying him. They knocked before entering and gave her a smile each. She was by the window again, a book resting in her lap.

"Hey. There's something we have to tell you."

Tony actually looked awkward and Clint sighed as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"We found Heighton, yesterday. Brought him in for questioning and all… Well, we were supposed to continue the interrogation today but he's been found dead in his cell. Somebody killed him. Looked pretty nasty, apparently."

"Somebody had some anger management issues." Tony added, "Good riddance, if you ask me."

"Not the moment, Stark."

Tony just shrugged. He wasn't sorry about the loss. He had gotten what had deserved and if it was up to Tony, whoever had done it should get a medal. Natasha looked at them both but didn't react in any way. Little did they know that she had gotten the news first-hand the previous night.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you that we had him. I just didn't wanna upset you."

"Fury is pissed off though. I'm not sure why. Honestly, the guy's dead and that's great news. He should throw a party. On second thought, I might throw a party."

"Stark…"

"I know, I know. But it's one less thing to worry about."

Tony gave her another smile before heading out again. He had a party to consider. Clint stayed for another few moments but when Natasha turned her head to look back out of the window, he left too.

* * *

It was only a couple of hours later that Loki showed up in her room. He had gotten more than enough rest and today, he did not feel like talking or even seeing the others. He had come directly into her room without letting anyone know he was there. She was still by the window but turned her head to look at him when she felt his presence in the room. Loki joined her, smiling briefly but politely. At least she hadn't lost her touch.

"Did they tell you yet?" He asked, somewhat amused.

She didn't answer but neither had he expected her to. Silence fell over them, lasting for several minutes. It was quite comfortable like this. However, he had not come to enjoy silence with her. It only encouraged him to think and he was not looking forward to that. Not yet. So instead, he thought of stories he could tell her. He smiled when he remembered one.

"Did you know that I had Thor dress up as a bride once? I think you will like this one. Mjollnir was stolen from Thor once, by a giant called Thrym. As payment, he demanded to wed Freyja. She is not of Asgard but has been living there for most of her life. She is regarded as one of the most beautiful of the goddesses. Of course we could not simply accept the demand and ask Freyja to marry a giant. Instead, I suggested to Thor that he dress up as her and get back his hammer. I suppose on this note I should also mention that I went with him dressed as a bridesmaid. It was ridiculous but the giants believed us. They hardly even got suspicious, not even when Thor ate an entire ox by himself. They are not the smartest creatures. It is a shame that I could not take any pictures of it. Thor looks rather good as a bride although he lacks the manners. Perhaps you should ask him about it some time. He still gets highly embarrassed about it." Loki mused, chuckling to himself, "He got his hammer back during the wedding ceremony and then defeated the giants. We went back home as quickly as possible after that. The only ones to know about this are Heimdall and mother. And you."

He grinned at Natasha whose expression was a little brighter than before. She looked like she had enjoyed the tale and Loki found himself glad for it. He could almost see the tug on her lips but he knew she was not fighting a smile. He decided to tell her another story before his body got the better of him.

"When I was smaller, mother used to read to me every day. She has the most beautiful gardens and we sat there and read together during the days. She always knew how to deal with me… Every time she read to me, she would highlight the scenarios with some of her magic. It was my favourite thing. Those days were the happiest of my life. I think that is also where my original fascination with magic stems from. I tried imitating her and the first thing I accomplished with magic was to set her curtains on fire. After that, she took the time to teach me. We spent every morning reading and every afternoon training my magic. She was a fantastic teacher. With her help, I managed to control what I could do already and then she taught me more and more. Later, when I was old enough, she taught me how to fight. While Thor had his swords and his hammer, I was no good with them. Mother knew just what to teach me. Everything I know now about how to fight with daggers and small blades comes from her. Thor never understood. He is too brute to see the beauty and elegance in fighting with daggers and magic. He was the warrior Odin always wanted; the one that Asgard always wanted its prince to be. On Asgard, those that can hold their own in a fight are much more appreciated than those that know how to evade conflict. They only appreciate true warriors, not sorcerers. Mother never made it a difference. She loved me all the same."

He looked at Natasha again and was surprised to find the smallest of smiles grazing her features. He had only seen her smile once before, and not to his benefit, but it was a very nice sight. He had not expected her to. He smiled.

"A smile… How rare."

It didn't vanish with the remark and he nearly chuckled. This was rather nice, not that he would admit to it out loud. After all, a smile was the most he had seen her do since his first visit. It was odd to him though that she would smile in his company but not in Barton's. His own smile faded and he took a small step closer to her. She had to lift her head up to be able to keep up the eye contact and it almost made him smile again. She was so tiny. He reached out to brush her hair back before realizing what he was about to do. He paused in mid-air, frowning at himself. Natasha tilted her head aside, as if she was curious about what he was doing. Before he even had the time to make a lame attempt at covering his action, he heard footsteps rush closer. He sighed, annoyed but also somewhat glad for the interruption. The door burst open and he could see her smile disappear again. Loki turned around to face two very angry looking Avengers and grinned smugly.

"You're not supposed to be here without letting us know. And now is really not a good time."

Steve nodded in agreement and narrowed his eyes at Loki who just continued smiling at them. This really held none of his interest. Clint fixed his gaze on Natasha, quickly checking up on her. He didn't actually think Loki had hurt her but it had become a reflex to him to do the check-up.

"Is that so?"

"Look, Thor told you what happened, didn't he? The guy we arrested has been killed."

"I do not see how that should restrict my visits."

"Just get out. Please. Until we know what happened, you need to at least announce yourself before coming."

It was obvious to Loki that they thought he had done it. It had certainly crossed their minds. Not even mortals were dull enough not to consider that possibility. He shrugged, his disinterest in the new rules blatantly obvious. Loki turned back to Natasha and bowed his head before teleporting away. This time, when Clint and Steve took a step closer to see if she was truly alright, she ignored them both and turned back toward the window, watching the city. The two men shared a look and eventually decided to leave her again. It wasn't exactly the first time she was elsewhere with her mind, if one could call it that in her current state. No matter how odd it still seemed to Clint, she had seemed fine. If this would be Natasha from before the incident, he would say she was mad at them. The thought amused Clint and brought him some sense of normality. Steve and he went to check the camera footage from her room, just to be sure Loki hadn't done anything stupid. The angle wasn't very good but Clint could clearly make out her expression. He could hardly believe it.

"He made her smile."

"That's good. That's really good." Steve smiled.

Clint muttered an agreement under his breath. It was a good thing indeed, great even, but he had a very bad feeling in his gut. And his gut was never wrong. He sighed and sank down in his chair. Steve looked confused, not following his train of thoughts. He could not see how this would be bad news.

"Clint?"

"Okay, think about this. We find the guy that maybe possibly did all this to her and not even 24 hours later, somebody breaks into the HQ, passes every single security measure ever, bypasses the cameras and remains completely invisible to the guards and every agent that was there at the time."

"You think it was Loki?" He frowned, catching up.

"It screams his name. I don't know why he would do it but he's the only one with the skills to. At least at the moment. At some point, Fury is gonna get to that conclusion too and then we're all in big troubles. But Loki? Either Fury tries to get his head or Thor is gonna drag his ass back up to Asgard for I don't know how long. And as much as I really couldn't care less about him, he got through to Tasha."

"Are you worried her progress will deteriorate again if he's not coming to see her?"

"Yeah."

Steve nodded in understanding. So far, Loki had indeed been the only one to get through to her when not even Clint had been able to. Taking that away all of a sudden might do more bad than good.

"We should talk to Thor. He can help clear things up."

* * *

Thor arrived at the tower about an hour later. He had left Loki behind. Both of them knew well enough what the Avengers would discuss and Loki cared little about it. Thor met the others in the lobby of the upper floors, greeting them once there. None of them looked happy.

"We need to talk about Loki." Tony started.

He was about to go on when Thor raised his hand in a silent interruption.

"I know what you wish to speak about."

"He killed Heighton, didn't he?" Clint asked.

Thor turned towards him and nodded. Bruce shook his head at the admission and sighed. Tony groaned before downing his glass of vodka. Clint let out a curse and Steve looked less than pleased himself. They all had hoped for the best.

"He can't just take someone's life like that."

Tony huffed at that and shrugged when Steve glared at him.

"I think the guy deserves a medal for it."

"He took a man's life."

"Oh, come on Stars and Stripes. You know he got what he deserved. We all thought about it."

Bruce interrupted the upcoming argument quietly, "Have you considered the consequences of this?"

"Screw the consequences. He did us a favour."

"But why?"

They all turned to Thor then in hopes of an answer to Steve's question. They had discussed this before but none of them had been able to come up with a logical explanation. Thor sighed in resignation. He would tell them but he would only tell them what was important.

"He did it because none of us would have."

That was all they needed to know. Loki's earlier admission of having avenged Natasha was something Thor did not wish to bring up.

"Heighton still had information." Clint said, "And it's not even any of Loki's concern."

"Loki told me you would not have gained any more information from him. And he is very good at retrieving information. If he would have learnt anything, he would have told me."

"Right…"

"Fury is gonna have a heart attack."

"Do we have to tell him?"

"That is not how it works, Stark."

"Friends, please, calm down. I will take Loki back to Asgard tomorrow. He will have to explain himself to father." Thor said, successfully earning everyone's attention once again.

"That's not enough, big guy."

"He will face Asgardian justice."

That ended the argument. They all knew it would be useless to try and argue this out further. Thor had made up his mind and there was no convincing him otherwise now. Besides, there was nothing they could do about it anyway.

"He's all yours then."

Thor nodded and an uncomfortable silence fell over the team. He left again several minutes later when nobody made an attempt at speaking and the rest of the Avengers continued discussing Heighton's death and Loki's involvement once the God was gone. Things had just gotten a lot more complicated.


	9. Confusion

**Okay, I am very super excited about this chapter! I've been working toward this for the past weeks. I really hope you'll like it and that it's not going to fast (or too slow!). I did consider delaying the events of the chapter and cover the time span that passes instead buuuuuuuut... meh. As always a HUGE thank you to all you lovely readers and reviewers. You have no idea how happy it makes me to read what you have to say. You are the sweetest people on the planet.**

**Just a quick summary of what I want the characters to appear like (besides the canon of the movies): Clint is in love with Tasha but he wants what's best for her first. If he sees something or someone makes her happy, he won't get in the way of that. Tony is like the overly protective older brother. Steve acts as the quieter older brother that always looks out for her. Bruce is always around and he makes sure everyone stays calm, especially around Natasha. And Thor is a little thick sometimes but he sees more than Loki would like and he's also heavily affected by Natasha's situation. Here's to hoping I could make all of this obvious in the story.**

* * *

It did not come as a surprise to Loki when Thor came to him the second he got up. He had already known he would have to return to Asgard. The mortals were in no position to come up with a punishment fit for a God. He had only hoped to have a little more time to prepare himself. He did not want to face Odin again. And he certainly did not want to have to explain himself to his mother. Thor and he ate breakfast together before departing. The Bifrost enveloped them quickly and when Loki opened his eyes again, he found himself back in Asgard's observatory. Frigga was already waiting for them there. She looked upset and disappointed and Loki had the decency to feel guilty. He hated it when he upset her.

"Mother…"

"Loki… Odin is waiting for you. Do not keep him waiting for long."

Loki threw a side glance at Heimdall who had undoubtedly informed Odin and Frigga of what he had done on Earth. Thor nodded next to him and led the way to the Throne Room. Odin was indeed waiting there and he looked anything but happy. Loki swallowed as he approached the Allfather. He could not bring himself to feel cocky this time.

"Father-"

"I already know what happened, Thor. Loki… You have killed an innocent mortal while on Earth. Explain yourself."

He laughed at that, unable to help himself. In no way had Heighton been innocent.

"You are misinformed. The man I killed was anything but innocent."

"He did not take the lives of others."

"He sold weapons that destroyed and took lives and families. He could have just pulled the trigger himself. It would not have made a difference to the people that suffered. Though I do not care. What he did to Agent Romanoff, however, is much worse than death. I did what none of Thor's friends dared to. Someone would have killed him sooner or later. I simply decided that sooner was better."

Odin sighed. He had truly hoped that Loki had changed his ways and that maybe he could indeed be trusted again but this did not speak in his favour.

"Did you do it for her then?"

"She could not avenge herself. Someone had to."

The Allfather shook his head and took a good minute to think about his next step. This would need further consideration. But for now, the young God would need to remain in Asgard.

"You will be brought back to your cell until I have decided on a suitable punishment. Thor, escort your brother out."

Odin dismissed them and Thor accompanied Loki back into the dungeons. It did not come as a surprise to Loki. He was preparing himself for the worst.

"I will speak to father. You had good intentions this time…"

Loki remained silent. He couldn't care less at the moment. It might actually do him some good to stay in his cell. Once inside, he looked at the neat pile of books next to his bed. He would continue reading for now. There were still quite a few he had not finished yet. Thor left again but Loki paid it little attention. His mind was elsewhere.

Thor had every intention to help his little brother out of this mess. He returned to the Throne Room where he found Frigga already discussing the issue with Odin. She interrupted herself when she noticed her eldest approaching and turned towards him. So did Odin.

"Do you wish to add anything to this?"

"Yes. Father, Loki acted on good intentions. He did not kill that man for the sake of killing or for his own pleasure. He did it for Lady Natasha's sake. What that man did to her was monstrous and he is right. None of my friends would have taken the step Loki took but by no means would there have been justice. They would have locked him up for a few years and then set him free again. Loki did the right thing. I promise you he did not slip and go back to his previous self. He is still the same Loki you trusted a week ago. He has not shown any ill will towards any of the other mortals during his stay on Midgard, not even towards my friends. Loki was right; that man has destroyed countless lives. Please, give him another chance to prove that he has truly changed. For Lady Natasha as well. I believe she still needs him."

Silence fell heavily as Odin considered his son's words. Loki had been doing much better lately and even now he appeared just the same as the last time they had spoken. He had not been bitter or cocky, just honest. Which, when used to describe Loki, was a rarity in itself.

"I will give him one last chance. He may return to Midgard with you. I trust you to keep a close eye on him. However, I will bind the rest of his magic before he returns. If he missteps again, he will lose it permanently. For the rest of the week, he shall stay in his cell. You may take him with you after then. It will do him some good to rethink his actions."

While both Frigga and Thor were happy Loki had been given yet another chance, they knew the complete restriction and possibility of losing his magic would not sit well with Loki. Frigga took Thor to the gardens to talk after that. She wanted to know how Natasha fared and how exactly it had come that Loki had killed that mortal.

* * *

It was well into the evening when Thor finally had the time to see Loki and tell him the news. Odin's decision had been a pleasant surprise. Loki thought the same, to say the very least. He stopped listening when Thor told him what he had said to Odin and he missed the following part about the conversation with their mother.

"I think it will be best if we return as soon as you are allowed to leave. Do you wish for me to inform Lady Natasha of your upcoming absence?"

"I do not care. She can figure it out by herself, I'm certain… Leave me be, Thor." He said absently.

Thor sighed but nodded and then left. He would let the Avengers know.

* * *

By the time the week was over, Thor had sent word to the Avengers and Natasha especially. They were all well aware that Loki wouldn't be back until later that week. Natasha hadn't made any progress in the meantime but it hadn't gotten worse again either. Tony and the others had kept her company and visited frequently. Though most of the visits remained one-sided conversations. She hadn't paid them any real attention. Tony had still wanted to throw a party after Heighton's death but the possibility of the Hulk smashing his shiny new tower into pieces had been a good enough argument to convince him otherwise. Meanwhile, Fury had come to the simple conclusion that it had been Loki who had broken in and killed Heighton. He had demanded to speak to Thor immediately and nearly blew a fuse when he couldn't. Tony had rudely hung up on him before Fury would give him hell over the phone. Nobody wanted to deal with an angry Fury so calls that came after that had been taken by Jarvis.

By now, things had hardly calmed down. Fury was still on their asses, demanding to know why on Earth Loki even knew about Heighton and why he would get involved like this. None of them dared to let the truth peek out, not even Steve, so Tony had ordered his AI not to tell the director anything. Despite the progress Loki had made with Natasha, they all knew Fury wouldn't let the God anywhere near his best agent if he knew about his involvement. So they didn't mention it to anyone and blamed the slip of word on Thor's big mouth. They would need to warn him about Fury's wrath though they were all certain he could handle it just fine. They would also make sure to explain the situation rather than sending him in blindly. Thor would without a doubt go along with it if it meant protecting both his little brother and Natasha. Since he had started to truly help her, none of them wanted to keep Loki away from her.

* * *

Loki had spent the entire week reading Natasha's books in hopes of distracting himself from his own thoughts. The outcome had been by far less successful than he had hoped for. He just finished his current one when Thor came in.

"Loki, are you ready to go?"

He looked up at him, silence following the question. Loki put the book back onto the pile of read ones before replying.

"I will not be joining you this time."

"What? Why? If it is because your magic, I'm su-"

"No, Thor. It has nothing to do with that. I simply do not want to go."

"What about Lady Natasha? When will you return with me?"

Loki sighed, annoyed. The whole reason he was staying behind was Natasha. But he could not tell Thor that.

"I do not know."

Thor continued staring at him, wanting answers. He could not understand why Loki did not want to come with him. Why he would rather sit here in this cell than enjoy the freedom on Earth. It did not make any sense to him. Loki quickly ignored him again and grabbed one of the last books he had not read yet. Thor left with a feeling of confusion and disappointment. He found Odin and Frigga before his departure to Earth to let them know Loki would stay behind.

Once their oldest had left again, Frigga went to visit Loki. Hopefully she could find out what kept him here. She doubted it was the further restriction of magic. Loki could easily handle that. His ego would not let him allow to be dragged down by that. No, she had a whole other idea.

Loki purposefully ignored the newcomer when he felt the presence on the other side of the barrier, thinking it was Thor.

"Loki…"

The soft voice of his mother had not been what he had expected but he knew he should have. He looked up at her, his features softening at her warm smile.

"Mother, what are you doing here?"

"I came here to talk to you."

"You want to know why I did not leave with Thor."

She nodded and he let out a long breath before marking the page in his book. He closed it and put it aside to grant his mother his full attention. She deserved as much.

"I do not want to talk about it."

Frigga smiled at how childish he sounded. Some things simply never changed.

"It's because of the mortal woman, isn't it?"

He wanted to disagree with all he had but he could not bring himself to lie to her. He had never been any good at it anyway and she had always been able to see right through him when he tried. It would be a pointless effort and he spared them both the attempt.

"Yes… I have been growing… attached to her. I do not know how to handle it." He admitted.

"Have you considered telling her?"

"Of course not."

"Why not?"

"She is barely there, mother. Even if I told her, I would not expect a reaction. I could not even be certain she heard me at all. Besides, I do not think she would like it very much. I did try to kill her after all. I nearly broke her. Surely, that would leave marks she cannot just ignore. I would much rather find a way to ignore how I feel."

Frigga remained quiet for a little while, thinking. It certainly was obvious now why he had decided to stay here. However, she had no intent of distracting him from his misery. Quite the opposite rather. There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes and it did not go unnoticed by Loki.

"Tell me about her."

Loki frowned in suspicion. He knew he could not deny her the request – he could never deny her anything – and so he thought about where to start instead.

"She is fierce. Or was, before that man broke her. She is a very talented mortal. She made me believe I played her when it was the opposite. I tried to break her and she did not budge. She is a very skilled fighter as well. Perhaps I would have succeeded with the invasion if it had been her under my control rather than her friend…" He mused, "I like to think I have found my match in her. But now, she is nothing but an empty shell. She does not speak, she does not react, she does not care about anything. It is a shame. And still, out of Thor's friends, she remains the most interesting one."

Frigga had listened and watched closely and she was smiling now. When Loki noticed, he felt confusion take over. His mother had always remained a mystery to him, no matter how often he had tried to solve it.

"Why are you smiling?"

"You looked… happy when you spoke about her. You may not realize it, Loki, but she brings your heart and mind peace. That is not something you should let go of. You can try to fight it but I believe this is what you've been searching for all your life."

He blinked. That had not at all been what he had expected her to say. He was not sure how to feel about it either. There had always been some sort of contentment when he had been around her but he would continue denying having felt at peace or even happy. He groaned quietly.

"You are not helping me ignore this."

"That was never my intention." She smiled.

For all the goodness the woman had in her, it amused Loki how mischievous she could be sometimes. He shook his head, trying not to smile at her.

"And remember, you have killed for her. Even if she is barely there, it might be too late to deny it now. She already knows you care for her."

She left with that and Loki was left alone to think and consider. It was a shame that his mother was always right.

* * *

Meanwhile, Thor had gone back to Earth and was looking less than forward to telling Natasha that Loki had stayed behind. He didn't know she had made quite the step forward before he had left. But even if she would not react to what he would have to say, he did not like bearing bad news. He met the Avengers in the lobby of the upper levels of the tower. Everyone was surprised not to see Loki with him. They had expected him to come back with his brother.

"Where's your brother?"

"Loki has decided to stay on Asgard for the time being."

"What, you mean, like, voluntarily?"

"Yes. I do not know why but he has refused to join me."

The others shared a look of confusion and concern. They weren't the biggest of fans of Loki by any means but they had rather gotten used to him being around. Besides, he had actually behaved himself and had helped. He hadn't looked like he had suffered being here so none of them could understand why he hadn't come back.

"Tasha is gonna hate this." Clint mumbled.

"I have come to inform her of this myself."

Clint and Tony shared another quick glance before the former spoke up again to stop Thor from progressing.

"There's something you might wanna know before heading in there. Loki actually made some progress before you dragged him off to Asgard."

"We kinda missed telling you last time." Tony added when he saw Thor's face.

"What kind of progress? What has happened?"

"She smiled." Steve said.

"That is wonderful news! He did not mention it to me…"

They nodded absently. It was but if Loki was going to stay away again now, they were worried she would get worse. For some reason, he had gotten through to her when none of them had been able to. She hadn't shown any reaction to anything or anyone after Loki's departure for Asgard a week ago. She had been all to herself despite their best efforts to distract her.

"Go and tell her."

Thor nodded in agreement and then left for Natasha's room. It took him several minutes to reach the right floor. He knocked on her door politely before entering.

"Lady Natasha?"

He spotted her sitting by the window and gave her a quick smile when she turned her head to him. He was oblivious to the brief flicker of disappointment on her face. It had been a while since he had last seen her and he felt about it. Nevertheless, it was good to see her. She looked better than he remembered and he was glad for it. Her misfortune had greatly saddened him.

"I come with… unpleasant news, I'm afraid. Loki has decided to stay on Asgard and I do not know for how long. I also do not know why. I'm sorry I could not bring him back. I have just heard that he has gotten through to you and that makes me wish all the more that he returns with me next time. I cannot force him to but I hope he will reconsider. I am very happy he has managed to help you."

Natasha just looked at him, as if she had barely even heard what he had said. Thor bowed his head and stood there awkwardly before turning and going back to the door. Suddenly, as if the words had finally gotten to her, Natasha got up, trying to stop him from leaving. He didn't notice though.

"Lo-"

She started coughing violently, her voice too rough in her throat from not having been used in so long. Thor whipped around in utter surprise, just in time to see her steady herself against the wall. One hand covering her mouth against the coughs, she could hardly keep herself up. She doubled over when the coughing got worse and Thor barely had the time to catch her before she would have hit the ground.

"You must take it easy."

He continued trying to calm her down as he picked her up carefully. She still weighted next to nothing to him. She did not look like she would be able to stand by herself. He didn't want to take any chances and carried her back to her bed, letting her down there. Once she sat steadily, he left to get her a glass of water. Her coughing fit had not left yet and she couldn't get it back under control right away either.

It took minutes for it to go away again. The water had certainly helped accomplish that. The entire affair had exhausted her though and she had troubles breathing evenly. The force of the coughs had brought tears to her eyes but they went down her cheeks ignored. Thor looked at her, concern written all over his face. He was glad she had spoken – or tried to anyway - but he was worried about her well-being.

"I'm certain he will change his mind soon. Perhaps mother can talk some sense into him."

Natasha stared down at her lap in silence, unmoving. Her breathing slowly returned to normal and once Thor was certain she would be fine on her own, he left. The others needed to know about what had just happened and they would surely be of better help to her than he was. She didn't lift her head again even when she heard the door open and close again. She was exhausted beyond reason and curled up on herself under the covers, attempting to sleep.

* * *

**Yay for this milestone! I hope. I would really love to hear what you thought of this one. It's been one of the most important chapters so far.**

**Also, I'm putting together a fanmix/soundtrack for this that I'll hopefully have up on 8tracks soon. Just in case anyone is interested. I will try to sort it by chapter. If you have any suggestions on what to add to that, shoot them my way. And if you think it's a shitty idea, shoot it my way (but nicer please). See you next week!**


	10. I Was Lost Without You

**Do you know what happens when you don't speak for just a day and then try to? Nothing comes out. Or it's one of those pathetic attempts at speaking you do when you have the worst cold in history. So, that's what I based Natasha's coughing fit on. You know how sometimes when you start coughing it just keeps coming and coming and it gets worse and worse until you think you might choke on something? Yeah, that's what happened with Natasha.**

**To my lovely guest reviewer: BLESS YOU. You deserve all the cookies in the world, my friend. Your reviews bring the brightest smiles on my face. I'm so very happy you like it. And of course, all you other amazing people, I love you all the same. Here's a bowl of cookies and muffins and pizza and cake; take whatever you like.**

**Theme song for this is I Was Lost Without You from the Mass Effect 3 soundtrack. I think if you listen to that while reading the last half of the chapter, it makes it all the better. I'll try to update the chapter names with the titles of songs I think fit the best as part of the fanmix I'm still working on. I really hope you like this one.**

* * *

Trying to get through to Natasha after the unexpected news of her having spoken had proved to be tiresome to everyone involved. The team had gone to see her right after Thor had told them but Natasha had already been asleep again. In fact, that was how it had been the following days. She had either been asleep or had faked it. Clint had been able to tell the difference a few times but had never said anything about it. She obviously hadn't wanted them around. He had understood. They had been rather overwhelming and had continued keeping her company after that. It had taken Bruce days to convince the others to give her more space. The commotion they had been causing had been far too much to handle and Bruce had been the only one to see it in time. Eventually, things had calmed down again. Bruce and Steve had worked out a plan for when each of them could see her and they had all agreed on keeping things easy. They hadn't tried to make her speak again and even when Thor had continued visiting, nothing had changed. It had been rather upsetting to them all. Not just that she hadn't spoken again but also that she had acted as if she had been asleep for most of their visits.

Everyone had had troubles believing Loki had actually done it – without even being there. Or because of it, rather. Clint's instincts had never been wrong before and he had always been able to rely on them.

Loki had spent his time thinking excessively. Frigga had come to see him a few times but never for very long. She had known that leaving him to himself would be important so that he could figure everything out himself. She had always known him best. She had pushed him into the right direction and the rest had been up to him.

Eight days had passed since Natasha's attempt at speaking. Loki didn't know about it yet. Thor had stayed on Earth to help his friends and hadn't managed to send word back to his parents and Loki about the turn of events.

* * *

In the past days, Loki had figured out what his next step would be and he waited for his mother to come by to tell her. He would need her help with this. He wasn't entirely eager to share his thoughts but this was his mother and if anything, she would not deny him his request of help. Frigga visited him just after noon and found him already waiting. The smile on her face made him halt before he even spoke.

"Loki, Thor has come back with news this morning. I did not think it would be wise for him to see you and tell you the news himself but I would like to tell you now nonetheless."

"What kind of news..?" Loki frowned.

"Lady Natasha has attempted to speak."

He blinked in surprise and just stared at her for a good minute. She smiled warmly and waited patiently for him to say something.

"She has? What happened?"

"I can only tell you what Thor has shared with me. He said that when he went to inform her of your stay on Asgard, she did not take it well. She tried to speak just as he left. It appears she has not repeat the attempt since, however."

"Did he tell you what she said?"

"He could hardly make out that she had spoken before she had been overwhelmed by coughing but… He swears it was your name."

Her smile remained in place even as Loki stared at her with a blank expression. He didn't know how to feel about this. Especially now that he had made his decision. He supposed it wasn't a terrible thing. He blinked once and Frigga tilted her head to the side in curiosity.

"What is it that you have on your mind, dear?"

He wasn't even surprised anymore by how well she could read him.

"I have decided on my next step. I would like to return to Midgard. Alone."

She nodded. She had thought this would happen sooner or later.

"I cannot promise you alone but I will see what I can do so that you may leave without Thor by your side."

"Thank you."

She gave him a motherly smile and nodded in acknowledgement. She understood. She knew Thor would be upset when he found out but this was indeed something Loki needed to do on his own. And with Thor there, he would not be able to. She hoped Odin could be convinced to leave Thor out of this journey. She was going to consider alternatives on her way.

"I will return once Odin has made a decision."

Loki gave a small hum of agreement and turned back towards the pile of books by his bed. He hadn't been reading much the past week. He heard his mother leave again and heaved a sigh. Natasha had spoken. Attempted to, he corrected himself. He could hardly believe it.

* * *

Loki waited almost anxiously for Frigga to return. He did not feel very patient today. It was at least an hour later that he heard the familiar footsteps come back. He took the few steps closer to the barrier between them when she stopped in front of him.

"He has agreed to let you go back without Thor." She started and he nearly smiled in relief before she continued, "However, you cannot go by yourself either. I will come with you until Thor returns to Midgard himself. I won't get in your way. It is only so you are not by yourself."

He wasn't overly joyous about it but between Thor and his mother, she was the lesser of two evil. At least she wouldn't fuss the way Thor would. His brother was far too curious for his own good and he had no intention of explaining himself to the blond. He was glad he wouldn't have to deal with him.

"Thank you, mother."

"Of course. When do you wish to leave."

"Now."

Frigga nodded and removed the barrier for him. For a moment, he considered taking Natasha's books with him but he decided against it. Another time perhaps. Or maybe he would keep them. They were all good reads. He joined her and they departed together. Odin was their first stop and Loki got the rest of his magic restricted before they headed to the Observatory, successfully evading Thor on the way.

Nothing had changed on Earth since his last stay. Not that he had thought anything would. New York was, after all, dull. He led the way to the apartment S.H.I.E.L.D. had provided for him and his brother and showed his mother around. There wasn't much to see and they were done quickly enough.

"This is a nice place."

"It's tiny. But it is enough to sleep in. You can also see Stark's obnoxiously big tower from here."

He went to one of the windows and showed her which building he meant. Frigga chuckled at the face he made but had to agree on the ridiculous size of the tower. At least the palace on Asgard had enough people living in it to actually explain the size. She doubted that was the case for this one.

"Go see her. I will get comfortable here."

He smiled at her gratefully and kissed her cheek before changing and leaving. Walking was a tedious task. While he didn't mind doing it to clear his head, it was an annoyance when it was required to get him to his destination. The way itself wasn't long but the streets were crowded so it took Loki almost twice as long as it should have.

Once inside the tower, he made his presence known to Jarvis. He did not wish to be kicked out again like last time. The AI forwarded the information to Tony and it took less than five minutes for the genius to meet the God in the lobby.

"Hey, Reindeer Games. What are you doing here? Where's Thor?"

"I am here to see Agent Romanoff and my brother is on Asgard."

"Great… So, you're on your own?"

"My mother is with me."

Tony had to force himself not to make a remark at that and Loki frowned at the expression he made. He did not understand.

"Okay, two questions before you go. One: Where the hell were you the past week? Thor said you could have come back already so why didn't you? I think it would have been real good for Natasha. Second: Why didn't you just teleport your way in like usually?"

"I remained on Asgard to… think. And Odin has restricted my magic further."

"Huh, so you got grounded by your old man and had your toys taken away from you. All that for killing a man. Lucky you. Anyway, for some reason Natasha was upset about you not being around so you're free to see her. Just avoid Barton on your way. He's pissed at you."

Loki nodded in understanding and then made his way to Natasha's level. He wasn't sure why Barton would be angry at him but he had no wish to find out either. It could well end with an arrow in his face and he would rather not risk that. Besides, he was here for Natasha, not any one of the others.

* * *

He didn't knock and even when he opened and closed the door, it was completely soundless. Natasha, however, was still aware of the new presence and she turned around to face him, her eyes settling on him right away. He grinned at her. He could swear he had seen surprise cross her features momentarily but he decided not to comment on it. He just walked over to her, joining her where she sat by the window. They looked at each other for a while before Natasha turned her gaze out of the window again. He could see she was still watching him through the reflection though.

"I… did not think my absence would upset you. Thor… I heard what happened when he told you I remained on Asgard. You spoke?"

She didn't look back at him directly – just kept her focus on his reflection – but she reached out, blindly grasping his fingers. Loki glanced down in surprise when she got a hold of two of his fingers but he made no move to pull away. The action was unexpected but not entirely unwelcome. He didn't mind the contact. Loki couldn't tell what surprised him the most: That this had been the first conscious thing he had seen her do or the action itself. Not to mention the fact that he didn't mind it the least.

"I just came to let you know I have returned. And out of curiosity, naturally. I see not much has changed though." He said after a while.

It was quiet again for several minutes after that. Natasha continued looking out of the window and Loki continued watching her, neither one breaking the physical contact between them. She looked somewhat at peace. He didn't want to consider that he might be the reason behind it.

"Thor doesn't know I'm back. My mother made sure… She also came here with me. I cannot remember the last time she has set foot on Midgard. It's nice to have her here… For some reason, Stark thought it was amusing. I do not see how. He has also told me to avoid your archer. He is… _pissed_ at me." He made a face at the vulgar language before going on, "I cannot see why. I do not care either."

Thankfully, between the two, silence wasn't an unpleasant companion and neither minded the time spent like that. It had been early in the evening when Loki and his mother had arrived and by now, it had grown dark outside. Though with the everlasting lights of the city one could hardly tell the difference.

It was a little later that Loki pulled away again, taking a small step back. He had been here long enough.

"Mother is waiting for me."

He turned to leave but stopped when he felt her stop him hesitantly. She had barely even touched him but it was enough to make him halt. He turned his head back to look at her and then turned completely. He had not expected her to do that. She stood now and before Loki had time to comprehend what was happening, Natasha rested her head against his chest. She lifted her arms and grasped the back of his shirt weakly. Frozen, Loki was at a loss of what to do or how to react. He hadn't thought she would do anything to stop him from leaving and certainly not this. For a moment, he thought she would start crying but nothing of the sort happened. She just stood there, embracing him in silence. He couldn't bring himself to push her away. He hadn't been coming back to Earth to push her away.

"Did you think I abandoned you? Foolish mortal…" He mumbled.

He didn't return the hug, not really. He just lifted an arm and let it rest on the small of her back. She didn't seem to mind or care that it remained like that. Loki watched her with slightly narrowed eyes, trying to figure out what this possibly meant.

_You may not realize it but she brings your heart and mind peace._

His mother's words rang in his ears as she regarded the much smaller woman. The height difference almost brought a smile to his face. She was almost somewhat cute. He wasn't used to this much proximity and contact. The only person he enjoyed hugging was his mother. But this was nice too.

_This is what you've been searching for all your life. _

He still could not understand why he felt such sentiment towards the mortal woman. What it was about her that had him so drawn to her. But here he was, standing in an embrace with her.

_That is not something you should let go of. _

Sometimes, he truly hated how well his mother knew him. How everything she said had more than just the smallest bit of truth in it. Of course she had been right this time too. He wasn't willing to admit it but he did not wish to let go of whatever this was.

"Natasha…"

She didn't move and for a second he wondered if she had fallen asleep. But then she lifted her head, the smallest smile on her face. It had been the first time he had used her name when speaking to her. It was nice to see her smiling. He grinned at her again.

"I must go. I will return tomorrow."

She let go of him and he wished he could just vanish. Instead, he had to walk away from her. It was not something he enjoyed and the moment he closed the door behind him, he felt something heavy settle in his chest. Tomorrow could not come quickly enough.


	11. Conversations

**I have the sweetest reviewers on the planet. You guys put the biggest smiles on my faces. I love you all and thank you all. This one might be a bit on the slow side of life but I'm covering a loooooot of conversations in here. I'm also further establishing Tony's character as I haven't really had a chance to yet. Couldn't think of a fitting theme song for this one so it'll go without one for now. I hope you'll enjoy it and be excited for the next one! See you all next Monday :)**

**Now mildly edited for accuracy reasons.**

* * *

Returning to his mother proved to be almost as bad as returning to Thor would have been. Frigga was already waiting, a curious but motherly smile on her lips. He would have to tell her everything and he did not want to. But saying no to her was not something he excelled at.

"Mother… It's late. You should be asleep."

"While my son is out seeing the woman that keeps him awake at night?" She mused, "I do not think so, dear. So tell me, how did it go?"

He sighed but joined her on the couch for a proper conversation.

"Well, I suppose. She did not speak but she did do a couple of conscious actions. That is more than the last time I have seen her."

"Did you talk to her?"

"Not much. Hardly at all, actually."

"I sense a but. Go on, dear."

"She…" Loki cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable, "She held my hand. Somewhat. And she has also hugged me before I could leave."

He looked down at his lap and Frigga recognized the action as one of embarrassment. She smiled happily. This wasn't much at all but the fact alone that Loki had allowed both actions spoke volumes. He had never been one for physical contact. He had no shame in pushing people who tried to get close away and that he hadn't done so with Natasha was a step in the right direction.

"You didn't tell her then?"

"No."

"Will you?"

"I don't know, mother."

"Whenever you are ready, Loki. But remember, she is still herself. She will know regardless. It seems to me she cares about you."

Loki sighed again, almost annoyed. She always seemed to know everything already. Despite the previous events, he did not wish to think about _that_. It was difficult enough for him to accept his own feelings. Adding the possibility of Natasha returning them was too much for Loki. There were only so many feelings he could handle at once. Nevertheless, it was a rather pleasant thought. Next to Thor, he had never been the luckiest of men when it came to women. Asgard loved its warriors and Loki was not one of them. Now, things could be different for him.

"Thank you, mother. I think I will retire for the night."

"Sleep well, dear." Frigga smiled before she left towards the free bedroom.

Sleep didn't come easily for Loki. Now that he was alone in a quiet environment, he finally had the time to truly look back at the night. He could barely fathom what had happened. Natasha had never struck him as someone who enjoyed physical contact and even after tonight his opinion had not changed. But it had certainly come as a surprise. Just as it had been for him that he had let it happen and had enjoyed it himself. The embrace between them had brought him a certain feeling of peace and serenity; something he was hardly familiar with. There had always been some sort of chaos going on inside of his mind. It was at ease when he was around her. He scoffed before smiling sadly. Loki had never been good at getting close to others and he was equally bad at letting others get close to him. The concept was linked to pain and hurt and he almost hated himself for letting it happen now.

"Ah, but you didn't just let it happen…" He mumbled to himself.

No, Loki had tried to ignore it to the best of his abilities. He had tried to stop it from happening. But now here he was, miss her proximity.

* * *

"Well, I'll be damned." Tony said.

He had watched Loki and Natasha interact over the security cameras, wanting to make sure Loki wouldn't do anything stupid – and out of pure Tony Stark curiosity. He had half expected him to go crazy again but nothing of the sort had happened. Instead, he had just witnessed the most unexpected thing he had ever seen. He rubbed his face and took a good minute to consider what he should do next. Clint was brooding somewhere on his floor and Natasha probably wouldn't like an intrusion very much. Bruce had gone to sleep already and Steve was hitting the living daylights out of his equipment in the gym. In true Tony Stark fashion he left to see Natasha.

Tony had the decency to knock before entering. Natasha lay on her bed, the blanket reaching up to her shoulders.

"Hi… So, ahm, Loki is back. Hurray."

She turned to look at him and when he didn't see a death glare aimed his way, he came closer to occupy the chair by her bed.

"I may or may not have watched what happened. Yeah, okay, I totally watched. I had to make sure he wouldn't go crazy on you and do something stupid. It's good to see you coming around. Clint is gonna be happy. Or he's gonna break something. I just can't tell with that guy. Anyways… Look, I know you're a big girl and you can look out for yourself – especially now that you're more… there – but this is still Loki. You know, cray-cray God of Mischief and all that. So be careful. I imagine you're frowning or glaring at me right now but listen. I can see that you like him. And that's really not any of my business but you know how much I love meddling in affairs that aren't mine. It's great that you like him and I'm stoked that he's helping you get better but I don't trust him any further than I can throw him. And I tried throwing Thor with my suit once; didn't get far. You get my point. I'm not blind, he obviously has a crush on you or something of the sort so I think it's a safe bet that he's gonna wanna take care of you and all that cheesy stuff. But it's still him. Just be sure about whatever is going on."

He smiled at her and the grinned brightly, "I sound like an overly protective dad, don't I?"

She still didn't react any further but she was watching him intensely and he knew she had taken in every single word he had said. Loki was apparently still the only one she would let herself get close to though. Tony didn't mind. As long as she was making progress and getting better, he didn't care that it wasn't with him or anyone else from the team.

"Well, I guess I am, kinda. More a brother than a dad but you know what I mean. I just wanna see you back on your feet. The way it used to be, you know? When you'd glare me to death for this kinda talk and beat me at poker. I miss that. If Loki manages to bring you back to us fully, he can have his own floor in the building. Or whatever else makes you happy, really."

He gave her a sympathetic grin and then got up again. It was late and he would let her get some rest.

"I'll see you around, Tasha. Goodnight."

He left quietly once he put the chair away again. Here was to hoping Loki wouldn't mess it all up. He also hoped he wouldn't run into Clint on his way back. He did not look forward to sharing the news with the moody archer. Maybe after a couple of drinks he could reconsider. Clint needed to know about this just like everyone else on the team did. Tony was the only one who knew. He would call in a meeting in the morning.

* * *

The next morning came quickly and Tony made sure everyone was there for his distribution of news. He had considered keeping it to himself just a little longer but being who he was, he hadn't managed to contain himself. Besides, they all deserved to know. Despite that, he had no intention of sharing the now obvious connection Natasha and Loki had. He couldn't do that to her.

"Stark, why are we here?" Clint asked, still moody.

Tony grinned at him broadly before he focused his attention on Steve when the man repeated the question.

"Loki showed up last night."

"He's back?"

"Yup. He went to see Natasha for a while and then left again."

"What happened?" Bruce asked.

Tony smiled then, his expression lightening up.

"She seemed pretty happy to see him. If anything, he helped in making her react again. Actually, she made some pretty conscious actions all by herself. I say it's about damn time Loki came back here."

"What kind of conscious actions are we talking about here? Another smile? Words?"

"Nah, nothing like that. More like a hug. She hasn't talked to him or me when I went to see. Loki is still the only one who can get a reaction out of her but it's something. She's getting better."

Everyone was surprised when the hug came up and Clint sighed. Then he shook his head with a grin. Loki really had gotten through to her. As much as he would love for it to be him who helped Natasha through this, he was grateful the God helped her.

"Bastard's good for her recovery. I told you."

"I know, I know. I was wrong and you were right, blah, blah, blah."

Clint's grin got a little wider at the admission while Steve shook his head in disbelief. He too was glad though. Seeing Natasha out of it all the time was not something he wished to get used to.

"Is he going to see her again today?"

"Probably. He didn't exactly come to say bye and goodnight but now that he's back, I doubt he's not gonna go and see her when he wants to." Tony shrugged.

Bruce decided to go and check up on her after the meeting. The last time he had done so had just been a week before. After the coughing fit, he had wanted to see how she was recovering. It hadn't been bad at all but now that some emotional attachment had been lifted off her shoulders, her recovery might go a little faster. While Steve and Tony continued their conversation about Loki, Clint thought about what Stark had told them. There had to be more to it than just that. He knew Stark. He knew he was hiding something and he would find out what it was. Not to mention the fact that Natasha didn't like hugs. He was going to watch the security footage later.

* * *

Later turned out to be just ten minutes after the thought had crossed Clint's mind. He had sneaked out of the meeting early when the conversation had switched directions, leaving just before Bruce had. The latter was with Natasha now while Clint tried to find the good time on the camera footage. It took a little while but he eventually got to it. Flopping down into the chair, he pressed play and watched. The video wasn't running for very long and a few minutes later, he had seen enough. He stopped it with a sigh and leaned back in the chair. Clint wasn't blind and he would have to be incredibly naïve not to notice that Natasha and Loki cared for each other.

"Really, Tasha? This guy?"

Clint chuckled, upset, and then left the room again to go and see her. He missed Bruce by not even a minute. He knocked on Natasha's door and then entered. She was in bed, watching him as he stepped closer. She looked better than just two days ago and he was pretty certain that was thanks to Loki. She looked more alive than she had in three months and no matter what he thought of the God, he was beyond grateful for that.

"Hey… Stark told us Loki came by last night. Well… I'm glad he's back. He's doing well helping you get better. That's… it's nice…"

He felt a little awkward but gave her a big grin in hopes to cover it up.

"I saw the footage. You really care about the guy, huh? Guess I at least made the right call when I let him see you… We should probably have that conversation when you're better; when you can tell me to fuck off." He smiled, "I'm just happy you're making progress."

He kissed her cheek before heading to the door again.

"Just let me know when I can kick his ass, alright?"

Natasha smiled a little then and Clint's own smile widened when he noticed. That was the first time he saw her smile in over three months. It was tempting to stay but he knew she'd rather be alone now. He was beyond happy about the smile though.

"Thanks, Nat. I'll come by later. We'll talk some more then, okay? Gotta run."

He closed the door behind him quickly and left her to it again.

* * *

Loki was at the tower in the early evening. He didn't run into anyone on his way to Natasha's floor and he was glad for it too. No doubt, Stark had had his nose everywhere and told everyone. He knocked before entering. She was still in bed, sitting with her back against the wall. He had her full attention almost instantly.

"Hello… Natasha."

The name rolled off his tongue with quite some hesitation but she didn't seem to mind. Plus, after the visit of the previous night and everything that had happened, it felt much more appropriate.

"I apologize… I left your books in Asgard. I wanted to travel lightly and quickly. I am still hoping to get a few days before Thor returns and demands answers for everything."

He grinned in amusement and came closer, taking the chair by the bed and moving it into position before sitting down in it. He looked at her and his grin disappeared to make space for a concentrated frown. He couldn't help but recall his mother's words. Not just those but all the thoughts that had been swimming in his head the previous night. He had tried his best to ignore them all and had failed miserably. With all his thinking, he hadn't even been able to tell why he cared for her the way he did. It wasn't just because he considered her his match. It was much more, Loki knew, but he didn't know what exactly. He had tried two things: ignoring all of that and spending and excessive amount of time thinking about it.

"I still do not understand what draws me back here. There is something about you that has… captivated me."

Natasha tilted her head, curious before she smiled lightly. He returned it with one of his own. He liked her smile. Ever since the first one he had decided to try and make her use it more often.

"I think I may have another story you would like."

He told her more about his family and his childhood, especially the time he had spent with Thor and his mother. He told her about the adventures he had shared with Thor and his friends, about precious time spent with his mother and eventually, he came to the point of what had happened before he had invaded Earth.

"I was hurt and bitter and I was blinded by my hatred… I have never felt like I belonged to Asgard and I did my best to destroy any hopes of having a good reputation. Thor had always been the golden son after all. I was merely there. When Thor was to be crowned, I grew jealous and sabotaged the ceremony. That wasn't the only reason though... Thor was reckless, too quick to act without thinking. He wasn't ready for the Throne but nobody was willing to listen to what I had to say about it. So I did the only thing I could think of. I was an idiot. But I was also too stubborn to admit to it and it just got worse from then on…"

It was late by now and even though Loki wasn't done yet, Natasha had long fallen asleep. He smiled and stopped talking, amazed that she trusted him enough to fall asleep in his company.

"You trust me? Really? I cannot understand you…"

It was nice though. He liked it. It was a rare occurrence that people trusted him, even just the smallest bit and the fact that she apparently did was good for his state of mind.


	12. Wake

**Can you believe that this story has been running for three months already?! This is my longest one ever and it's all thanks to you guys! Thank you all for the reviews, they make my day and I love you all for taking the time to leave me a few words. We continue where we left off and there is also going to be more Frigga in this - hooray! And special thanks to Hekka who pointed out some accuracy issues that I made in the last chapter. It has since been fixed.**

**Theme for this one is Wake by Linkin Park**

* * *

When Natasha woke up she was covered in sweat, her eyes wide and wet with unshed tears. It was the middle of the night but much to her surprise, she wasn't alone in the room. This wasn't the first time she woke up in terror but usually there was nobody with her. Natasha looked around, her heart beating hard and fast against her ribcage. She spotted Loki still sitting on the chair, fast asleep. She shifted closer to him, finding instant reassurance in his presence even though he was still sleeping. She didn't remember falling asleep but having Loki still here was unexpected.

He jumped when he felt a sudden but gentle shake of his shoulder and was wide awake within a moment.

"Natasha?"

He was confused and it only intensified when she grabbed his shirt and moved enough to press herself against him in what looked like an incredibly awkward angle. He realized quickly enough that there was no way the position was comfortable for her and he pushed her away gently so he could move onto the bed. When she didn't immediately came closer again, he pulled her over until she was resting against him once more. It was much more comfortable for the both of them like this. He had his back to the wall and she had enough space to curl up against him. She hid her face against his shoulder. Loki looked down at her and lifted a hand to her back, still not entirely certain about what was happening or what had happened. It seemed obvious enough though. He knew well enough how harsh it was to wake up to nightmares.

It took him well over two minutes to realize that she was crying. Her breathing was relatively regular and she wasn't making a sound. It not for the occasional sobs wrecking through her body, he would have remained oblivious. Loki wasn't good at comfortable others and he never had been either. He felt awkward trying but seeing her like this and doing nothing wasn't an option for him either. To him, crying had always been something ugly and weak and now the thought almost made him laugh. Natasha was anything but weak. Even now, crying her heart out, she was as beautiful and strong as she ever had been. Loki saw no difference. He rubbed her back absently, hoping she would calm down again by herself.

After another couple of minutes he lifted his free hand to her cheek, urging her to look up at him. She followed the guidance and he wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Whatever it was that you saw in your dreams, it is over now."

Natasha dropped her head back against his chest, releasing a soft sigh. She closed her eyes and willed herself to stop crying.

"They'll go away… the nightmares."

It was a lie and they both knew it but it helped in a way. The false comfort of reassurance that it would get better, despite knowing it wouldn't, calmed her. Her tears died down again and the little emotional breakdown along with it. It had left her exhausted though. She wasn't used to crying so much, or crying at all.

They spent a little while in silence and Natasha calmed down enough for Loki to think she may have fallen asleep again. Neither of them moved and he didn't know how to feel about this entire situation. As much as he had missed her proximity before, he wasn't so sure it was such a good idea now.

"Natasha…"

"Lo-ki…"

Her reply was so faint and soft that he nearly missed it. She had spoken. She coughed a little, trying to clear her throat. Not speaking for so long made the actions required foreign.

"Take it easy."

She looked up at him for a moment and then shifted away a little bit so she could do it without twisting her neck too much.

"I…"

Loki waited patiently, giving her time to get the words out. He knew what it was like to be silent for so long.

"Thank you…"

He inclined his head in a courteous nod and smiled softly. It was good to hear her voice again.

"You are welcome."

Natasha frowned and didn't speak up again. It was still too exhausting for now.

"I understand. I too have been forced into silence before. It is tiring to do too much speaking at once. You will find your own pace."

She dropped against him once again, tired. Nightmares always left her feeling somewhat drained but ever since the events of three months ago, it had gotten much worse. She woke up soaked in sweat almost every night, her heart beating so loudly it was the only thing she heard. Tonight was different, if not by much.

When Loki noticed how close to falling back asleep she was, he shifted. He would not let her sleep like this.

"You should rest properly." He said quietly.

She pulled away and he got up, ready to leave. Natasha, however, had other plans. She tugged at the hem of his shirt, effectively making him halt. Loki looked at her with a frown, unsure of what she wanted. She made no move to let go and she didn't explain either but he put the pieces together easily enough.

"You wish for me to stay?" He wondered.

She nodded weakly, already beyond sleepy, and then lay down. Loki looked confused but he hesitantly lay down next to her. Barton would probably kill him in the morning. He had never understood the need people had for such closeness but this was actually rather nice. He enjoyed her presence. She rested with her back to him, her curls splayed out over her face and, much to his surprise; she was asleep mere minutes later. He knew he could leave now; nothing was holding him here, but he couldn't bring himself to abandon her. Instead, he decided he would stay where he was and watch over her. He had a long night ahead of him.

* * *

At first, Frigga had worried when Loki hadn't returned home but by the end of the night, she knew he was still with the mortal woman. When Loki came back in the morning, he went straight to his room and flopped down into his pillows. He was tired. Frigga was awake when he passed her but she knew better than to bother him when he so obviously needed to rest. Earlier that morning, the Goddess had decided she would go to the tower to meet Natasha. She would leave shortly. Now that Loki was asleep, it was the perfect time for that.

It was just past ten when Frigga arrived at Stark's monstrous tower. She took a few moments to take in its size before entering. She ran into Bruce in the lobby who, even before an introduction was made, reached the conclusion of the strange woman being the mother of the two Gods that frequently visited them.

"You must be Thor's mother. Hi, I'm Bruce. I, ahm, didn't expect to see you… Tony mentioned you were with Loki though. Is there something I can help you with?"

She smiled and nodded before introducing herself quickly. She already liked the young man.

"I was hoping to see Lady Natasha."

"Natasha? Yeah, sure. I can show you the way, if you'd just follow me, please."

"Certainly."

Bruce led the way to the elevator, watching her look around curiously.

"May I ask why you want to see her?"

"I'm most curious about her and I would like to see how she is doing. Thor tells me she has made some progress in her recovery. Would you be able to tell me more? Perhaps there is something I could help with."

"Well, I can tell you a bit more than Thor can. I mean, she _is_ doing better than just a month ago, he's right on that. She's more… there. I guess he told you that she talked to him; tried to anyway. From a more physical aspect, she's doing better too. Her injuries are healed for the most parts and now it's just up to her mentality to get back to the way it used to. Loki's actually been helping her with that. Now it's just a matter of time."

"I see. I'm glad to hear that. Thor has told me much about her and what has happened to her. It is good to know she is recovering."

Bruce pressed the button to Natasha's level once they were both standing in the lift, humming in agreement. It really was. It was still surprising to him that Loki was actually of any help.

"I wasn't sure Loki would be able to help or that he'd even want to but he seems closer to her than any of us at the moment. He's vital to her recovery."

"She has certainly caught his attention."

"Yes, I think it's the same the other way around. Never thought I'd say this but I'm glad he's around. He's good for her."

They reached Natasha's level a minute later and Bruce directed Frigga to the door that led to Natasha's room. She smiled at him gratefully and gave him her thanks, then left towards the indicated door. She knocked, not expecting an answer, and entered. Natasha was awake and turned to look at the newcomer. Sitting on her bed, that was how she had spent her entire morning.

Frigga stepped closer but made sure to keep a polite and comfortable distance. She did not wish to spook the younger one.

"Good morning. We have not met yet but I have heard a lot about you. My name is Frigga. I am Thor and Loki's mother."

Recognition passed Natasha's features and she relaxed almost instantly. Frigga took that as an invitation to approach her further.

"I have wanted to visit you for a little while now. I am most curious about the woman that has both my sons so captivated."

Natasha just watched her, a small frown on her face. The woman certainly had her full attention. The Goddess smiled at her and they both remained silent for just a few moments.

"I have also heard of your misfortune. I am very sorry… but I have met Bruce on my way and both he and Thor told me you were getting better. He is a lovely young man… I have brought you something. They may not be of much use but these are some herbs from my garden." She said, stepping closer to show her the greens and then putting them on her nightstand, "They make for excellent tea and have calming effects. Use them as you please."

She watched the redhead for a few moments, Natasha's eyes on the herbs before she turned her head back. Frigga crouched down in front of the bed to be level with her, looking up at Natasha who almost flinched back after a few moments of close scrutiny.

"I apologize if I make you feel uncomfortable. That was not my intention."

Hesitantly, Natasha shook her head and relaxed again. Frigga was no threat and she knew it.

"Thor speaks very highly of you. He says you are as fierce and skilled a warrior as the Lady Sif is. It is a rare occurrence that Loki agrees with anything he says." She mused, "You have certainly left an impression on them both… Loki especially. I have not seen him like this in a very long time. But that is not my place to talk about. Just know that I am grateful to you, for you are helping him just as he is helping you."

She looked at her more intensely again and Lifted a hand to her cheek. A moment later, she broke the motherly gesture again and let her hand drop. Frigga stood up and sat down next to the younger woman who didn't seem to mind.

"No matter what has happened to you, I can see that there is still fire left in you. You are still fighting or you would not be here right now. You are an incredibly strong young woman, Natasha. It may be shadowed now but you will return to your true self. I have no doubt about it. I may not know you very well but believe me when I say I am glad to know you are recovering. And it is good to see you have friends that care about you the way they do. Thor was so very concerned when you disappeared and he still is. He cares about you and your friends deeply. I know he would do anything to help you." She smiled warmly, "As it seems, you are getting better even without all of their help. Though I do believe it is vital they try, is it not?"

Natasha looked down at her hands but nodded once. She hesitated for a moment and then turned towards Frigga.

"Loki… helps."

Frigga smiled and nodded in agreement. It came as a small surprise only that she had decided to reply.

"Yes… I'm glad for it. He is not usually associated with helping others."

"He's… different now."

"Yes, he is. He has changed since his stay on Midgard has started. His mind is much more at ease now."

Natasha nodded and fell silent again. She needed to get used to talking again before she would say more than a few words at a time. It was exhausting and it felt alien. For some reason, Frigga had made her talk. There was something about the woman that had made her want to open up.

"Loki will be awake soon so I shall leave. I do not wish to keep you any longer either. Perhaps we will see each other again. I wish you a good recovery, Natasha. Do not give up fighting."

The blonde got up again and smiled at Natasha motherly before she walked back to the door. Natasha didn't speak up again but she watched her leave, her eyes wet. That had been an interesting and surprisingly emotional visit.


End file.
